Bludhaven's Hero
by Illeana Starbright
Summary: After an argument with his mentor, Dick Grayson strikes out on his own in Bludhaven only to find himself trapped in the middle of a complicated assassination plot. Takes place during Season One of Arrow.
1. Episode One: First Flight

_Author's Note:_ Hey everyone! Just some quick info for you before you being reading. First, this story will be updated once a week because the chapters take a while to write. Secondly, this isn't quite the Richard Grayson from the comics. He's a little darker and has been put through a little more than that particular boy. Finally, if you're coming here from Duplicity then I just want to let you know I'll be doing some drabbles post-Duplicity and I'll let you know on this when they're posted. I own nothing, but enjoy anyway.

* * *

_My name is Richard Grayson. When I was ten my parents fell to their deaths and I was taken in by the Court. They taught me to kill by destroying everything that made me human. Batman saved me and, in order to repay him, I swore an oath to uphold justice. But every bird eventually has to leave the nest. Now is my time to step out from underneath Batman's wings and learn to fly._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 24, 3:45 AM**

A dark shadow flowed like liquid across the chilly night sky of one of the nastiest cities in the country. All manner of low life scum made their livelihood in its back alleys and crack houses, that shipped drugs and weapons in through the ports and trafficked human lives to other states a nations. The police force was just as corrupt as most the locals, creating an atmosphere of terror for the few citizens who wanted nothing more than to escape the poverty and danger surrounding them. Hope was as elusive as water slipping between a child's fingertips. This city was a place where people died young or turned to drugs to erase the horrors they had witnessed. It was a place in need of a savior.

The shadow slithered across rooftops, though the subterfuge was hardly necessary. People in Bludhaven weren't accustomed to searching the skies for attackers. Or protectors. The figure hesitated on the edge of a rooftop, leaning over to peer at the figure rushing through the alley below. This city wasn't one where people called for help. That only brought more trouble, whether in the form of corrupt cops or human traffickers. The running figure was a young woman with long blonde hair that hung in wild tangles around her face. She looked to be around eleven or twelve years old and was just skin and bone, but pretty enough to attract the wrong type of attention. Behind the girl, following at a leisurely pace were two men. They had no obvious weapons but they were walking through Bludhaven at night without looking over their shoulder. One could logically assume that they were armed.

The young girl reached the dead end at the far end of the alley and let out a little heartbreaking cry of dismay. She whirled around then to face the men who approached her. "What's wrong sweetheart?" one of the men asked, leering at her. "We just want to take you home."

"Stay away from me," the girl snapped back, hands clenching into trembling fists and her brown eyes gleamed with fury.

"Don't be like that sugar," the second man purred drunkenly, reaching out a hand towards her. The blonde girl backed up closer to the wall behind her as the men laughed. That was when a shadow dropped out of the sky in front of them, landing in a catlike crouch in front of them.

"I'm sorry gentlemen," a smooth voice practically purred as the figure stood, a smug smile crossing his face. "Am I interrupting something?"

The men stuttered in shock, mouths gaping open. "W-who're you?" one of them managed to get out, face pale.

"Your worst nightmare," the figure replied blithely. "But you can call me Nightwing." Then he lashed out with the speed of a striking snake. The first blow sent the man who had been leering at the girl flying back to crash hard against the cracked concrete. The second one didn't manage to block a punch to the jaw that would leave bruises later but when he saw the flash of clawed gloves on his hands he didn't protest. Instead he only let out out a terrified cry as the lithe figure below him lifted him off the ground by his throat. "Now listen to me very carefully," Nightwing said, grinning the entire time. "You and your friend here are going to walk away or you'll be hanging upside down at the docks come sunrise. Have I made myself clear?"

The man gargled an agreement and Nightwing dropped him to the ground, allowing him to grab his friend and scramble away. Behind the black clothed figure, the blonde girl stared in awe. He turned towards her, his wide grin softening into something more genuine. "Are you okay Miss?"

"I'm fine," she said, brown eyes wide with awe. "And it's Brown. Stephanie Brown." Then some fierce lit her eyes and she added, "I could'a handled it."

"I'm sure you could have," Nightwing agreed easily. "But you shouldn't have to." He hesitated a moment and then asked, "Will you be fine walking home?"

"I'm from Gotham," Stephanie Brown replied with a snort and a toss of her tangled hair. "Of course I will be." Nightwing nodded once, smile still in place, and then launched himself upwards to fade into the shadows. The blonde girl stared in the direction he had gone for a moment, trying to pick out the cobalt bird that had been on the front of his costume when he'd turned to face her but saw nothing but darkness and the thick clouds that rolled overhead. After a moment she shook her head and walked off the direction she had come, not knowing that by morning she would be a part of Bludhaven's latest rumor.

* * *

**Episode One: First Flight**

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Eight Years Previously**

_"Hide me, hide me!" a little dark haired boy squealed as he scrambled around his mother and clung to one of her legs. Mary Grayson laughed lightly and ruffled his hair as a boy about four years older scrambled into view, a scowl on his face._

_"What have you done now my little Robin?" Mary asked her son who grinned innocently up at her._

_"Nothin'," he replied, giggling when his cousin snorted at him._

_"Yeah right. He told Raya that I have a crush on her." John's cheeks flushed pink and Mary smiled knowingly at him._

_"Do you really?"_

_"That isn't the point Aunt Mary," John complained, folding his arms over his chest. "He told secrets that weren't his to tell."_

_"I'll talk to him sweetie," Mary told him, petting a hand through her son's hair as the boy stuck his tongue out at his older cousin. "But if you do like Raya then you should tell her before someone else braver does express their feelings." Her smile widened and she added, "That's how your uncle caught me." John wrinkled his nose at that, cheeks still flushed with embarrassment, and shot his younger cousin one more irritated glance before hurrying off. Mary watched him go with a fond smile on her face before turning her gaze down to her mischievous ten year old son. "You really shouldn't tell other people's secrets Dickie," she told the boy who pouted at her._

_"But he never would'a told her otherwise," the boy whined, staring up at her with big blue eyes._

_"I know you were trying to help but that doesn't really matter," Mary replied. "The only time you should tell anyone a secret someone told you is if it puts their being in danger. Do you understand?"_

_"Yes Mami," he told her, looking down guiltily at his feet._

_Mary ruffled his hair again and he glanced up with a hopeful smile. Her little bird really wasn't a bad person. He was just still learning proper behavior. "That's a good boy. Now why don't you go help your father get things ready for our show tonight?" Dick grinned up at her and then scampered away through the mess of tents and people spread across the current circus grounds._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 24, 6:15 AM **

Eighteen year old Richard Grayson slid serpentine through the cracked window of his tiny apartment and yawned so widely he thought his jaw might crack. The light on his answering machine was blinking, telling him that he had eight new messages. The young man slipped off his clawed gloves, reminders of his time as a Talon in the Court of Owls, and tossed them aside before hitting the button to play the first message. "Dick-" Bruce Wayne's voice began to say and he instantly hit the delete button, not in the mood to hear whatever excuse his old mentor might have come up with to bring him home. The next three messages were deleted in the same manner, all Bruce trying to bring him back into the fold.

The pair of them had gotten into a horrific argument when Dick had returned from a mission in New York as Nightwing only to find that Bruce had replaced him. The man had given away his mother's nickname for him as if it were nothing more than a pair of clothes the eighteen year old had outgrown. The man didn't seem to understand that what he had done was horrible and, to make matters worse, the new Robin was nothing more than a disrespectful street kid that thought Dick was being a selfish, self-centered brat. In response to those events, Dick had packed his bags and left for Bludhaven a week ago, unable to spend a minute longer in his former mentor's presence.

The fifth message on the answering machine was a girl from work asking if they could trade shifts on Saturday so she could go out with her boyfriend. Ashley was a sweet girl and not one to normally shirk her duty. Dick did some calculating in his sleepy mind and then made a quick note on the pad of paper to call her back when he was more coherent. Patrolling Bludhaven for the first time had been exhausting. The sixth one was Bruce again, and quickly deleted, the seventh was spam, and the eight one was Barbara.

Dick froze in the process of stripping off his uniform at the sound of his old crush's voice. Barbara Gordon was the police commissioner's daughter and Batgirl. She had patrolled the streets of Gotham for several years when Dick was Robin and had helped him create Nightwing when he began to contemplate striking out on his own. The red head might not understand what drove Dick out from underneath the safety net of Batman's wide shadow but she would at least listen. "Hey Dick," her voice said. "Alfred gave me your new phone number so I could talk to you. I hope it's okay. Call me after you get some sleep." The answering machine fell silent and Dick scribbled a note to call Barbara before going into work and slid out of the rest of his uniform, stumbling to his mattress, he hadn't dug his sheets out yet, and collapsing. Moments later he had drifted off to a restless sleep.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Eight Years Previously**

_Spotlights soared upwards to reveal the figures standing high above the people seated in the big top. Dick Grayson waved his hand cheerfully and beamed down at the excited audience, his mother's hand resting on his shoulder. His father ruffled his hair before launching himself off the platform. Moments later Dick and his mother were joining John Grayson, flying through the air. The boy loved this. He had grown up watching his parents and learning to fly with them, waiting anxiously for the day when he would be allowed to preform in front of a crowd. Uncle Richard and Aunt Laura joined them along with the boy's cousin and for a while all six of them were soaring through the sky._

_For a time, everything was perfect. Then the finale arrived. This was something they had been practicing for months, the adults changing up the routine so John and Dick could join in. The two boys stood on opposite platforms, waiting for their cues. John jumped out into open air first, his hands just connecting with Aunt Laura's when the ropes let out an ominous sounding groan. Dick watched in horror as the ropes snapped and his family plummeted towards the ground below, no safety net to stop their fall. People began screaming but the boy could only stare in mute horror as his relations crumpled to the ground like broken dolls. Tears dripped down his cheeks and he found himself shaking as he could only stare down towards the crumpled form of what had once been his loving family._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 24, 7:12 PM**

Distantly Dick became aware of an alarm beeping at him, insisting it was time to wake up. The young man groaned and forced open blue eyes, pushing himself up off the mattress and blindly smacking the alarm clock until it silenced. Then he stumbled towards the shower shoved in a tiny bathroom and turned on the hot water, undressing and sliding underneath the spray. Ten minutes later and more awake than before, he stepped fully dressed into the main room of his apartment, grabbing the cordless phone as he headed for the kitchen area. He could have fished out his cell and turned it on but he was sure Bruce had a tracking device in the piece of machinery. The last thing he wanted was for his old mentor to show up on his doorstep.

He dialed Barbara Gordon's number from memory and tucked the phone between his ear and shoulder as he measured out coffee grounds into a filter and then filled the pot with water. The machine gurgled and the red head picked up one ring away from her voicemail, saying "Barbara Gordon speaking."

"Hey Babs," Dick chirped cheerfully, switching the phone to his other ear and opening a cupboard to fish out a coffee mug.

"Dick," the twenty year old replied, voice brightening. "I wasn't sure you'd call me back."

"It's not you I'm upset with," the young man informed her, placing the coffee mug next to the coffee maker and then searching through the other cupboard for a box of cereal, opening it and pulling out a handful of the sugary contents.

"I heard what he did," Babs told him, voice business like. "And while I agree he shouldn't have given away Robin without your permission I don't really think it warranted the screaming matching that resulted."

Dick hurried to swallow, scowling a little. "He won't even apologize Babs. He wants to just keep going like what he's done isn't a huge betrayal."

"Bruce is terrible when it comes to emotions," Barbara said dryly. "You and I both know that."

"It wouldn't kill him to apologize every once in a while." Dick tucked the phone between shoulder and ear again, carefully pouring himself a steaming cup of black coffee and replacing the pot underneath the coffee maker.

"It might," the red head teased and Dick couldn't help but snort. "Seriously Dickie, the pair of you make such a great team. It would be horrible if you let this break up your relationship. And Jason needs someone with more emotions than a statue to help him get through this."

"We'll work it out eventually," Dick replied, leaning against the cheap linoleum counter. "I just need some space or any conversation we have is just going to devolve into another screaming match."

"Okay," Barbara said. "But promise you'll call me at least once a week so I can at least pass on to Alfred that you're still alive."

"I promise."

"And that you'll call if you need help during the nights."

"I promise," Dick repeated, a grin taking over his mouth. "I'm not Bruce, Babs. I actually acknowledge that I have friends."

"I'm holding you to that," Babs said with a light laugh. "Now get off the phone bird boy! I have work to do." Dick laughed and hung up, placing the phone on the counter and scooping up his coffee cup. He cradled it gently between his hands and blew on the fragrant steam rising from the top of the brew before taking a cautious sip. He winced as it burned his tongue and placed the cup down with a disappointed frown, picking up the phone again. He headed for the coffee table, ignoring the once again blinking answering machine, to snatch up the piece of paper that had Ashley's number on it.

The phone rang twice before the nineteen year old answered with a distracted, "Yes?"

"Ashley Turner?" Dick asked cheerfully, heading back to the kitchen area so he could fish out another handful of cereal.

"Yeah, who is this?" Ashley asked cautiously.

"This is Dick Grayson. You called me about switching shifts."

"Oh yeah!" Ashley's voice brightened instantly. "Can you?"

"Yeah," Dick agreed easily. "I was supposed to work from noon to four. Does that work for you?"

"Yes," Ashley cheered excitedly. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem," Dick replied and then clicked the end call button, tossing the phone on the ancient couch and shoving the handful of cereal in his mouth. He munched on the sugary breakfast food and peered out the window, waiting for his coffee to cool down enough that he could drink it. Full darkness wouldn't cover Bludhaven for another couple hours so he still had some time to relax.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Eight Years Previously**

_The boy trembled as someone joined him on the platform, a broad form gently picking him up and carry him back down. The man cradled his head against a strong shoulder to keep him from seeing the bodies up close with the crowd panicked around them and the wail of police sirens approached them. "It's okay," the man murmured into his head as Dick sobbed helplessly, stomach rolling uncomfortably. The images of his family falling were seared into his brain, like some kind of nightmare.  
_

_"Dick, a familiar voice called. "Oh my god!" Dick turned and the man released him so he could throw himself into Raya's arms. "I'm so sorry," she murmured against his hair, clinging tightly to him. "So, so sorry." Dick sobbed harder as she rocked him back and forth, the rest of the circus kids gathering around them, forming a blockade to keep outsiders away from the distraught youngest child._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 24, 11:10 PM**

"Is this everything?" Antonio De La Vega glared at the weedy looking woman before him. She snorted at him, flipping her dyed orange hair over her shoulder and folding her arms underneath small breasts.

"It's all here," she said, flicking her head towards the crates men were unloading behind her. "Passed through customs and everything. Now hand over the cash." Antonio muttered under his breath but beckoned one of his guards forward. The bulky man handed over a briefcase to the orange haired woman who flipped it open and carefully inspected the money inside before snapping it shut again. "Pleasure doing business with you," she drawled before turning to the men unloading. "Make sure everything's off. I want to be out of here long before sunrise."

"Oh I don't think that'll be happening," a voice purred. A shadowy figure with a blue bird spreading its wings across his chest landed smoothly to their left, a wide smirk on his face. "I think you'll be hanging around here for a while."


	2. Episode Two: Whispers in the Dark

_Author's Note:_ Thank you to _spiderman1fan_ (Glad you're enjoying it!) for reviewing the last chapter! I own nothing.

* * *

_My name is Richard Grayson. When I was ten my parents fell to their deaths and I was taken in by the Court. They taught me to kill by destroying everything that made me human. Batman saved me and, in order to repay him, I swore an oath to uphold justice. But every bird eventually has to leave the nest. Now is my time to step out from underneath Batman's wings and learn to fly._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 25, 5:58 AM**

The drug dealers hung from the unloading equipment on the docks like flies trussed up for a spider's dinner. Officer Amy Rohrback shook her head at the sight and beside her crime scene tech Madeline Turner snorted with barely suppressed laughter. "That's a new way to deal with the local drug dealers," the younger woman said when Amy glanced at her.

The two women stepped past the crime scene tape and joined Cody Hamel, Maddy's partner. "Our new friend left us a message," the man said, motioning towards what looked like a spray painted blue bird.

"That's a message?" Maddy asked, eyebrows arching.

"Get to work Mads," Cody told her and she huffed, flipping her brown braid over her shoulder before hurrying past him with her kit. "The call came in an hour ago," Cody continued. "I'll have to do some testing but my best guess is that the only DNA we'll find will belong to our drug dealers. On the plus side, our new friend intercepted a huge shipment of ecstasy."

"Less drugs to sell to the school children," Amy murmured, hands on her hips. "That's not a bad thing." Cody hummed in agreement and walked around one of the swearing drug dealers towards where Maddy was working. Amy glanced up at the dangling and cursing drug dealers, wondering how exactly the police force were doing to safely get them down. She wasn't sure she wanted to bother. The mayor had a speech coming up on the twenty-seventh and the more criminals were off the streets by that evening, the smoother everything would go.

* * *

**Episode Two: Whispers in the Dark  
**

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Eight Years Previously**

_The boy fell asleep sobbing, wrapped up in Raya's arms. The red head had refused to leave him even when the police asked for his story, holding him close like she was afraid he would simply vanish when she let go. Dick didn't protest. He felt as insubstantial as a ghost. His whole world was being torn away from him, leaving him drifting aimlessly and dreaming of happier times. The red head holding him kept watch despite her exhaustion, mind turning over and over the kiss she'd shared with Dick's cousin before he'd gone on. He'd claimed it was for good luck but his cheeks had been tomato red and he'd been unable to meet her eyes. That was when she'd begun to hope that he thought of her in the same way that she had thought of him. Then her dreams had plummeted from the sky to break on the heartless ground below, staining it with red blood. _

_Tears trickled down her cheeks and she pulled the small boy in her arms closer. He murmured a little and nuzzled his head into the crook of her arm, cheeks still damp from crying. "It'll be okay," she told him in a broken little whisper, not really believing the words. How could anything ever be okay again after the tragedy she had just witnessed?  
_

_The door of the caravan opened and her head snapped up only to freeze. There were two men standing in the doorway wearing white plaster masks that covered everything but their eyes. Raya squirmed back, pulling Dick roughly with her. The boy jolted awake and then let out a frightened cry when he registered the figures. "Get away," Raya stuttered as they approached. The pair exchanged quick glances and then moved forward in tandem. One ripped Dick from her arms and the other pulled her away. "No, NO!" Raya shrieked, thrashing against the grip holding her tight. "Help! SOMEBODY HELP!" A hand tightened around her throat then and Dick let out a little wail as her vision began to fade away to black._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 25, 1:00 PM**

Dick stepped through the front door of Carolyne's, a local dive he and several other minors had managed to get a job at despite regulations. "Half a dozen drug dealers were found hanging upside down from unloading equipments at the local docks at just after four in the morning," a news reporter was saying, her voice bouncing off the cinder block walls of the mostly empty bar. "Along with them were around a dozen large crates of ecstasy shipped from somewhere in Europe to be distributed across the local streets. Whoever interrupted the exchange left behind a spray painted blue bird but no DNA on scene. Bludhaven police have shared no further information."

"What do you think of the 'Haven's newest crazy?" Colin, Dick's work partner for the afternoon, called from the across the bar where he was polishing glasses.

"What do you mean?" Dick asked, shutting the door and slipping quickly into the employee work room to drop his coat.

"Some guy went and beat up half a dozen dealers," Colin said with a roll of his eyes. "What kind of guy does that?"

"Batman," Dick replied immediately and Colin rolled his eyes again. "Superman too."

"Aside from your heroes, Gotham boy." Dick shrugged at him, unwilling to bring up the Court. Most people outside of Gotham hadn't heard of the Court of Owls and even people living in Gotham thought they were nothing more than a myth. That was probably for the best but sometimes the eighteen year old wished he would be able to tell everyone what exactly the court did to innocent children. "See what I mean? Whoever did this was crazy." Colin went back to polishing the glasses and Dick grabbed a wet rag to wipe down tables from the lunch rush, humming a lullaby his mother had sang to him. The day shift was normally quiet so Colin turned up the news and Dick kept one ear open to the reports, listening for any sign of trouble. The mayor of his new city was giving a speech in two days which meant it was Dick's job to take care of as much trouble as possible. After all, it wasn't as if he had Batman and Batgirl to back him up on this.

"In other news," the reporter continued after a brief weather report and commercial break. "Preparations continue for Mayor Peter Ford's State of the City address to come on the twenty-seventh. The address will be broadcasted from the steps of the town hall, a move that has been widely criticized by people across the nation. The mayor's office is working with the local police force to ensure that the avenue will be as safe as possible. Police Commissioner Delmore Redhorn promises that those attending the public speech will be kept completely safe."

Dick snorted softly at that and stepped behind the bar. Colin grinned at him and nodded slightly in agreement. The Bludhaven Police Department was one of the most corrupt departments in the country and, despite the fact that this was common knowledge, no one ever did anything about it. Like Gotham had been before Batman had emerged, good cops often got killed or seriously injured when trying to bring down the bad ones. Now Gotham had Commissioner Gordon but Bludhaven had Redhorn who, at least in Dick's opinion, was a younger Gillian Loeb.

The afternoon dragged on and on. Dick found himself restlessly wandering the bar while Colin watched him, looking bored and bemused. "Would it kill you to hold still?" the slightly older boy asked.

"Yes," Dick replied flatly. Colin sighed and rested his hand against his cheek, turning up the volume on the television. The lady on screen had cycled through everything local, including Gotham City's current chaos, and had moved on to national news. Superman had come to the rescue again in Metropolis, a mafia boss had been arrested in New York and was facing trial, and a guy in a hood had been spotted for several nights running around Starling City. The last bit of information caught Dick's attention as something to research later. Starling was closer to Bludhaven than Gotham City was and if the hood guy was dangerous then Nightwing would have to deal with it.

* * *

**Court of the Owls, Beneath Gotham City, New Jersey. Eight Years Previously**

_Dick blinked open his eyes and tried to sit up only to find himself tied down. His body was completely bare, his wrists pinned at his sides, and his feet chained to the cool table he was lying on. A figure in a white mask loomed over him. Maybe it was one of the men that had stolen him from Raya or maybe it was someone else. The boy didn't know. "You are awake," the man stated, voice cold and empty. "Good. We can begin."_

_The man turned towards something Dick could not see and then brought a long, thin needle into view. "W-what are you doing?" the boy croaked as the man approached with the needle. "Stay away from me! Please, just leave me alone!" He cried out when the needle slipped deep into a vein on his neck. Tears of pain poured down his cheeks as he struggled to breathe. His vision began to fade and blur around him, the sounds of the crowd's roar of disbelief as his family fell before him. Then his eyes drifted shut and heard nothing as a strange substance filtered into his body._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 26, 3:10 AM**

The city was quiet. In the short amount of time that Dick had lived here, he had learned that the city was never quiet. There was always, at the very least, petty thieves and con men scattered throughout the streets but tonight they seemed deserted. In Gotham this was a sign that something big was going on and Dick doubted it was any different in the 'Haven. He wanted to know what was going on. The problem was that he had no connections. Nightwing had not been in Bludhaven long enough to know where to begin looking. For that matter, he didn't even know the girl from the night before, Stephanie Brown, had gotten home.

Dick hesitated on the edge of a building, carefully pressing a clawed glove to his face. Part of him wanted to run back to Bruce, apologize, and beg, if necessary, for his help. Dick shook off that thought as best he could. He could do this by himself. The Court had trained him to kill and Batman had helped him use that knowledge to save people as well as teaching him to use his observational skills to solve crimes. The young man had all the tools he needed to figure this out. He just had to use them. He began to turn over what he knew about the 'Haven in his mind, searching for some kind of information source, but came up empty. Frustration sent him flying off the edge of the building into the open air, hoping the rushing wind and adrenalin would bring up an answer. Instead his mind turned back towards Stephanie Brown.

Did she make it home safe? Was her home life any better than the streets? After all, Gotham was not in much better shape than Bludhaven. For all he knew, Stephanie's family could be worse than the men he'd saved her from. Realizing the worry about Stephanie wasn't going to fade, Dick gave in and headed back to his apartment. From there he could track down Stephanie Brown and check on her before grabbing a few hours sleep. He had an early shift at the bar the next morning so he couldn't afford to be out as long as he normally would have been. In fact, he should have been lying in his bed getting some sleep so he wouldn't snap somebody's wrist when the tapped him on the shoulder the next day. Still he knew that he was too worried about what might be going on in Bludhaven to rest properly.

The young man slipped into his apartment and headed for his laptop, the best money could buy as of a year ago. Searching for Stephanie Brown turned out to be harder than he had anticipated. Her family must have been a very recent transfer from Gotham to Bludhaven because he could find not mention of her in any local database. The clock ticked on towards four but Dick began searching for a birth certificate. Maybe by finding the names of her parents, he could discover their work place from there he could track them to their new home.

The work took another hour but at last he had the birth certificate of one Stephanie Elizabeth Brown. Her parents were listed as Arthur and Crystal Brown. Dick scribbled down the names and then glanced at the clock, exhaustion mixing with the need to know. It was a quarter til five in the morning. Dick had to be at work at seven which meant if he was going to get any sleep at all, he would have to go to bed now. The Court of Owls had taught him how to go days without sleep but he did so by tapping into deadly instincts that would put his coworkers at risk. He could not afford to stay awake. He shut the computer and slid out of his costume, tucking it away before sinking under the covers of his newly made bed, alarm set for six in the morning.

* * *

**Court of Owls, Beneath Gotham City, New Jersey. Eight Years Previously**

_Dick woke as he was being lifted off the table. His head spun and his vision felt sharper than before. It was as if he could see every little detail on the clothing of the men dragging him along the corridor. He could see the texture of the stone on the walls, could feel it beneath his feet. He squirmed weakly against the grips on his arms but to no avail. His limbs felt as heavy as lead and his head throbbed. He was dragged to what looked like a stone coffin. Dick tried to fight but he couldn't muster the strength as he was shoved unceremoniously into the coffin. The cold from the stone seemed to sink into his very bones and freeze him where he lay. The men vanished from his sight only to return with what appeared to be a heavy stone lid. The lid loomed over him and a cry of fright got caught in his throat as it descended towards him, long thin needles protruding from the inside.  
_

_The lid slammed shut over him, the needles piercing his prone body and sinking deep into skin and bone. His heart pounded desperately in his chest this time the scream building in his chest escaped to echo off the stone above him and deafen him. The temperature in the already freezing coffin plummeted and his breath frosted in huge white clouds around his face, making it difficult to see. He wanted to shiver but his body would no longer obey him. His breathing slowed dramatically as his heart rate raced on towards its inevitable end. His new vision flickered and faded away to blackness. Richard Grayson pulled in his final breath and let it out in a soft huff as ice crystals began to spread across his already blue lips. His heart hammered twice more, trying to defy fate, and then fell silent._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 26, 7:00 AM**

"Do you have the money?"

The man startled, swearing and pulling the blankets up to his chin. The woman beside him did not stir, her golden hair fanned across the pillow. She was ten years younger than the man she was in bed with but she had been paid lavishly for her services. "How did you get in here?" the man demanded, voice squeaking almost painfully high.

"It doesn't matter," came the low growl. "Do you have my payment?"

"I do, and I'll pay you as soon as this is over," came the irritated snarl. "As soon as Ford's out of my way. Now get out of my home." The man's voice broke at the end, fear silence any other words he might have spit out.

"Very well," came the cold reply. A shadow shifted like liquid and then the intruder was gone, leaving the shaken man alone underneath his silken sheets.

Four streets over, a very exhausted Dick Grayson stumbled into work. He had managed to get an hour of sleep before his alarm had roused him. He'd started the coffee maker and then stumbled into the shower, turning the water as warm as it would go. Most people would use cold water but after his experiences in the Court, cold affected his unconscious mind in strange ways. He could not risk exhaustion induced hallucinations. Not when he had to work.

"Are you okay?" Karen asked the instant he walked into the bar, pushing a strand of her grey streaked brown hair out of her face.

"I'm fine," Dick said with a wan smile. Karen frowned at him but didn't press as he slipped into the employee break room to dump a coat on the back of a chair. He returned and tried to focus his attention on the tasks he was given. He could feel Karen's eyes on him the entire time, the feeling making the muscles between his shoulders tense up. He knew she was just trying to make sure he didn't pass out in the middle of the job but previous experience with the Court had long ingrained in his mind the fact that it was better to remain unnoticed.

His three hour shift dragged on, the worried tension in his muscles and the lingering exhaustion making every smile and conversation more forced than they normally would have been. By the time Andrew came in to take Dick's place, the eighteen year old was ready to collapse. He clocked out, grabbed his coat, and left the bar with nothing more than a farewell wave for Karen. The cool air smacked him in the face, helping him to shake off some of the disorientation that came with exhaustion. His senses sharpened, reaching outwards almost automatically to search for any signs of danger. After a year of being part of the Court and further years spent fighting crime in Gotham he had learned that not even empty streets were safe. There was always someone or something lurking in the shadows just waiting to strike.

He remained tense and ready during his entire walk back to his apartment, his paranoia acting up worse than usual due to his exhaustion. It was with a sigh of relief that he bolted his apartment door shut and collapsed on his ratty couch, still in his coat. Calmed by the knowledge that no one could get into his apartment without him knowing, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Court of the Owls, Beneath Gotham City, New Jersey. Eight Years Previously**

_He woke in increments, life slowly coming back into his limbs as he began to warm. His skin was covered in a thin layer of frost and there were holes in his arms, legs, and chest where the needles on the inside of the lid had pierced him. Slowly Dick pushed himself into a sitting position,blinking away the frost as his vision sharpened. Two men wearing white masks that covered all but their eyes were standing over him like silent sentinels. Their gaze did not waver from the boy, making him feel as if they were watching for some kind of reaction. After a moment he glanced down at his legs, searching for whatever they were looking for. _

_What he saw when he looked down made him gasp. The wounds from the needles were sealing shut without spilling a single drop of blood. "What's happening to me?" he whimpered. He looked up at the two men watching him but neither one respond. He began to shake and tried to crawl out from the stone coffin only to be pushed back in. "No," the boy yelped, struggling against the hands. "Let me out of here! Let me go!" _

_A massive shadow loomed over the small figure and his next protest died in his throat. "Richard Grayson," a cold voice said, making the boy's stomach twist. "You have been chosen._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 26, 8:15 PM**

Dick jolted awake, gasping for breath. His hands frantically patted across his chest and legs, hunting for any sign of healing puncture wounds, before reality sank in. He was safe in his apartment in Bludhaven, far away from the currently weakened Court of Owls. It took several minutes to calm his pounding heart in the shadows of his apartment, advanced vision seeking out anything that moved. When he finally calmed, he slid smoothly to his feet and headed for the closet, hand pressing against the hidden sensor to open the false back and remove his uniform. In a matter of minutes he was slipping out the window and into the cool night, searching for answers.

He still hadn't discovered where Stephanie Brown lived or where her parents worked but perhaps tonight there would be thugs out unloading their latest shipment. Businesses, even ones as underhanded as drug and arms dealing, had to keep up a consistent flow of product to continue making money. Sooner or later, someone would have to come out into the night.

Dick hesitated on the edge of a rooftop, hearing a distant whisper below him. He tilted his head, allowing his eyes to drift shut as he tried to locate the speaker. With Bruce, he hadn't utilized the skills that the Court had taught him, allowing himself to become softer. He had needed to balance out the harshness Batman in Gotham but in Bludhaven he was free to act more inhumanly. Here he was free to be more like a Talon than a human being.

It was his senses that saved him. He heard the hiss of the bullet through the air and twisted, launching himself off the building. He felt an impact in his shoulder, a brief flash of pain, and then began fall. The wind rushed by him as a choke sound of pain escaped his throat. His body crashed into a rusted fire escape, the metal shrieking at the impact. His head slammed into something hard and, despite his best efforts, his eyes drifted closed.


	3. Episode Three: Danger in the Shadows

_Author's Note:_ Thanks to _spiderman1fan_ (Theoretically there's going to be a Titans show with Nightwing in it!), _WolfTail Run_ (Glad you're enjoying that background! It's been fun to put together), and _Guest_ (Glad you're enjoying this!) for reviewing the last chapter! Kudos to anyone who can figure out the villain in this chapter (Though I don't think I made it too difficult)! I own nothing.

* * *

_My name is Richard Grayson. When I was ten my parents fell to their deaths and I was taken in by the Court. They taught me to kill by destroying everything that made me human. Batman saved me and, in order to repay him, I swore an oath to uphold justice. But every bird eventually has to leave the nest. Now is my time to step out from underneath Batman's wings and learn to fly._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 26, 8:22 PM**

Dick forced his eyes open, ignoring the pain that raced through his body. His shoulder was dripping blood, the electrum in his system slowly forcing the bullet out of him. The fact that it had pierced the kevlar weave of his uniform was worrisome but not what he didn't to focus on at the moment. Instead his ears were straining for the sound of approaching footsteps, wanting to know which direction his attacker was coming from. His eyes strained against the darkness, his body struggling to fight off the effects of the pill he took every day to keep the electrum under control. When he had been in Gotham, he had taken an entire pill every day, the strange concoction suppressing his meta abilities that the Court had given him. Now that he was alone in Bludhaven he had halved the dosage, giving him an advantage over the criminals.

A whisper of breath caught his attention and his pushed himself into a sitting position, head turning towards the sound. He caught a glimpse of heavy black armor before a fist clenched in the collar of his shirt and pulled him upwards. Dick didn't even attempt to fight the motion, instead use it to pull in a full breath. He heard more than saw the knife coming towards his stomach and brought a booted foot up to kick first the hilt and then the hand, sending the blade spinning away. In the same motion he lifted his other foot and pressed both of them into his attacker's stomach. The pressure forcing the air from his attacker's lungs loosened the grip slightly and Dick was able to squirm free, using the momentum to launch himself into open air. That, as it turned out, was a mistake.

A hand clamped around the young man's boot, dangling him upside down from the fire escape. Dick let out a low growl, the sound more animal than human, and lashed out at the hand wrapped around his ankle. The hand released him and he flipped as he dropped through the air, grabbing onto a lower platform of the fire escape, ignore the flash of pain that came from his wounded arm. Quickly Dick studied the distance between himself and the ground, judging it close enough for him to land without further injury, before dropping. Landing catlike on the cracked cement sidewalk below, the young man chanced a glance upwards towards the scene of the battle but saw nothing. The fire escape two stories above him was completely empty.

Unease made Dick's stomach churn but his senses detected no sign of danger. It was as if his attacker was simply gone, having vanished without a trace. Dick had been extraordinarily well trained during his time in the Court and had been beating Batman when the man had managed to trigger his memories. Even as one of the few caped crusaders spread across the country, he was still terrifyingly effective. He should have been able to hear his attacker leaving, even over the sound of his feet hitting the sidewalk. The fact that he hadn't made him anxious.

The eighteen year old decided to cut his patrol short and return to his apartment. There he could deal with his bullet wound and search for Stephanie Brown's location in the hope that maybe he could find a connection into the Bludhaven underground. With Stephanie being a former resident of Gotham there was a good chance that at least one member of her family was involved in some sort of criminal activity. It was a gamble that Dick was willing to take, considering the circumstances.

He pulled the window shut behind him and latched it before crossing to the bathroom to change into civilian clothing. Despite the fact that he was sure he hadn't been followed, the unease refused to leave him until, for all intents and purposes, he appeared to be a normal young man staying up late and staring into the blue glow of his computer. Dick searched for any sign of Arthur or Crystal Brown and found himself scanning a minefield of information. The couple were going through a lengthy divorce and, in the middle of the proceedings Crystal had dragged her daughter to Bludhaven. That had been enough to temporarily halt the proceedings. That meant trying to find a link through Stephanie was a no go, leaving him back at square one.

* * *

**Episode Three: Danger in the Shadows**

* * *

**Court of Owls, Beneath Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years And Six Months Previously**

_He had become a shadow, moving with the smoothness of water spilling over a ledge. The training had been hard, and he had lost much of himself in the process, but the sharp edges had been smoothed away. Dick Grayson was dead and only Talon remained. He was a sleek and deadly machine, a tool in the hand of the Court. His one purpose was to destroy the enemies of his masters. Now he flowed like oil into the main meeting chamber, yellow-gold eyes lowered submissively. The rules and behaviors he should practice had been drilled into his head by the older talon before he had been allowed to leave the storage room.  
_

_"He is ready?" a cool voice questioned from somewhere above Talon._

_"Yes," his mentor responded. "He has been trained and awaits orders."_

_"Very well. The time has arrived for us to retake Gotham," the voice continued. "Talon, you are to eliminate Bruce Wayne, the Batman."_

_"Yes masters," Talon replied solemnly, no emotion in his body language or passing through him at the assignment. He was empty inside. And he was going to kill the Bat._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 27, 1:44 PM **

Dick made his way to work with his shoulder wrapped. He thought it had healed up enough by this point that it wouldn't bleed but better safe than sorry. He'd gotten a decent amount of sleep the night before but he wasn't quite sure how he was going to protect the mayor during the speech at night. He pushed open the door to the bar and stepped inside, relaxing a little as the Friday afternoon chatter washed over him. Colin spared him a quick wave over the bar before turning back to flirt with the pretty brunette smiling slyly at him. Dick knew that his work partner was being played but he also knew Colin well enough to realize the older boy wouldn't listen to Dick's advice. He waved back and headed into the employee break room to drop off his coat.

He ignored Colin's flirting and began wiping down the empty tables as the lunch crowd began to clear out and head back to work. He watched, mildly amused, as the girl Colin had been flirting with stole his wallet and wandered out, blowing him a kiss. Then he went back to wiping down tables as his work partner turned on the volume on the television. "Everything is being prepared for the mayor's speech this evening," the news announcer said as Dick finished up the tables. "The Bludhaven police force will be working overtime to make sure that no one is at risk during the entirety of the speech and the aftermath. The mayor's office expects a large turnout tonight to hear the State of the City address."

"So they're still going on with that mess?" Colin questioned, rolling his eyes when Dick glanced over at him. "Ridiculous. I swear this is the stupidest thing I've every seen anyone do in the 'Haven."

"Even stupider than whoever left the message on the docks?" Dick questioned.

"Yeah," Colin said. "That guy just ticked off a few local drug dealers. The mayor's asking to be assassinated by having a speech in public and the police won't even bother to lift a hand to help him."

"True," Dick agreed as the newscaster moved on to the weather. "You attending?"

"Pfft, not a chance," came the lazy reply. Dick grinned and walked over to lean against the counter so he could look Colin in the eye. "You going?"

"Eh, maybe," he replied with a shrug. "Have the glasses been cleaned yet?"

"When was I supposed to clean them? I just got her twenty minutes ago."

"Get cleaning. I'll take care of the counter and any business out here." Dick shooed Colin away, knowing the older boy wouldn't work unless he'd been pushed. He had just stared wiping down the scarred wood of the counter when the bell over the door jangled. Dick glanced up and took in the sight of a broad shouldered man with an eye patch over one eye. There was something about the way the man moved that was familiar but the eighteen year old couldn't say why.

The young man kept a careful eye on the man, watching an intense grey eye scan the room before approaching the bar. Dick finished wiping the rings and sticky spots from the counter before approaching the man, trying not to tense. Something about this stranger set him on edge, instincts honed by the Court screaming at him to attack before his opponent did. He slid a false smile on his face and asked, "How can I help you?"

"I got a little turned around on the back roads here," the man rumbled after studying Dick intently. "I'm looking for downtown." His accent was from out of country, something that would make him easily recognizable in a city like Bludhaven.

"Head south on Wormwood until it connects to Cherry," Dick told him, forcing his smile to stay in place. "Then if you head west on Cherry you'll get to downtown."

"Thanks a lot mate," the man said and headed back towards the door, moving like a predator. Somehow, Dick doubted he was lost. The door shut and the young man turned back to his work, trying to ignore the uneasy twisting of his stomach.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years And Six Months Previously**

_Batman was a gargoyle on one of the rooftops of the Narrows, a menacing shadow looming over the streets. Talon watched him from a rooftop over, waiting for the right moment to strike. He did not shift a muscle, eyelids closing every few minutes and chest barely moving as he breathed. One of his first lessons in the Court was how to remain perfectly still, to become a part of the scenery. He had followed the Bat for hours now, ignoring the rain steadily falling from the sky. He was soaked through, despite the feather cape the court had provided him with. His gleaming yellow eyes focused on Batman's suddenly moving figure through the tinted goggles. Talon launched himself towards the recently abandoned rooftop and followed the Bat through the shadows._

_The two made their way across the Narrows, thugs trembling in fear when the Bat swooped down to intimidate them. Talon observed his fighting style, preparing himself for the battle to come, but hesitated to act. He did not fear Batman like those foolish cowards trembling away from the man but he did fear the court. The consequences for failing them would be. He did not wish to be returned to cold storage until they felt he could be retrained. With that fate hovering over his head, he shadowed the Bat, waiting for the correct moment to strike._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 27, 7:55 PM**

The last lingering light had just faded away from the city as Dick exited his apartment via the window, fully dressed in his Nightwing uniform. He had grabbed a few hours of sleep after his shift at work, determined to be ready for anything at the mayor's speech at eight. Because of his lack of connections, he had no idea who might strike at the event or how they might go about attacking. It was a dangerous situation for a hero to work alone but it wasn't something Dick could just ignore.

It took fifteen minutes to carefully cross rooftops and arrive at one with a perfect view of the steps of the podium the mayor would be speaking out without being seen. He scanned the surroundings as people slowly began to congregate on the sidewalk in front of the courthouse steps. He was searching for the flash of a knife or gun barrel, hoping that anyone attempting to knock off the mayor would get sloppy. The news that a vigilante was in town couldn't have spread far, though the man that had gotten away the night before was worrisome. Hopefully Dick could get the idiots out of the way before he had to deal with the professional.

Oddly enough, the police were actually doing their jobs. They were carefully checking each person before ushering them into the empty street while still more checked the insides of surrounding buildings. Satisfied that the police might actual manage to handle minor threats, Dick closed his eyes and turned his senses outward, searching for any sign of his attacker from the previous night. If he was being completely honest, the man worried him. He'd been good and Dick suspected that the man had been holding back when the pair had tangled, trying to take the vigilante's measure. Dick could only hope they hadn't struggled long enough for his attacker to get a clear picture of what he could do, otherwise it would be like facing Batman all over again.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_Talon waited until the Bat had dropped the last of the criminals and shot a grapple line towards a building before acting. One of his blades, sharp enough to split a single hair down the middle, sliced through the line. The masked vigilante who had just risen a few feet off the ground dropped to land in a smooth crouch as Talon launched himself into the air, landing silently behind the man. Another blade was cradled carefully in his palm, ready to spill blood as Batman rose smoothly to his feet and turned to face him. For a moment they stood in silence, taking each other's measure. The Batman _moves_._

_Even before his transformation from ordinary boy to dead eyed killer, the Talon wouldn't have the words to describe the speed at which his opponent strikes. Talon has been fighting other talons as part of his training for two months but never has he found himself face to face with anyone who moved the way the Bat did. He just barely managed to duck under the strike and aimed a blow of his own. The armor on Batman's glove sent his blade spinning away to clatter against a grimy red brick wall. The follow-up blow clipped the Talon's shoulder, making him stumble. He might have been capable of taking down men twice his size but Batman's blows had far more force behind them than the boy could ever muster._

_Talon ducked and weaved around the blows aimed at him, minimizing the number that connected. His skin would not bruise with the electrum running through his veins but he still felt the flashes of pain from the hits that connected. In the process of trying to get a decent blow in he had lost four more knives, the slender blades vanishing into the shadows of the surrounding area. Talon carefully slid another one out only to have a bat shaped blade slice across his cheek. Blood welled there for a moment before the wound sealed shut and he stumbled in shock.  
_

_For a month now no one had been able to draw blood on Talon. He had been the undefeated master of the fights yet this man, who was nothing more than human, had made him bleed. The emptiness inside him was washed away by a wave of fury and fear so fierce it almost knocked him off his feet. He wasn't able to regain his balance before Batman slammed him hard into the grimy wall of a building, sending stars dancing across his vision. For a moment he fought against the blackness rushing up on him as Batman's gloved hand closed around his throat. Then he relented, allowing it to carry him away as his whole body went limp._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 27, 8:30 PM**

Dick crouched in the shadows of the roof as the mayor began his speech, staring seriously out into the large crowd. The police had done a good job of keeping troublemakers out, had cleared the buildings, and Dick hadn't caught even a single glimpse of his attacker from the night before. Maybe everything would go smoothly after all. That was, of course, when things started to go south. A bullet punched through the mayor's temple, sending him crumpling to the ground. The mayor's personal assistant, a pretty blonde only a few years older than Dick, screamed and scrambled back. Her heels tripped her and she fell on her butt, her hair coming loose from her bun. People were staring in shock, trying to understand what had just happened.

Dick wasn't one of the gawking people. Instead he was moving, crossing rooftops. He'd eyeballed the trajectory of the bullet and managed to guess what building the shooter had been in. The police had been continuously sweeping the buildings since people had begun arriving so that meant the shooter had either been disguised as an officer or had killed the officers. Dick landed smoothly on the roof and headed for the door that would give him access to the building. The lock that kept the roof sealed off from the inside of the building had been cut, making it immediately obvious that the killer had come into the building that way. Dick slipped through the door and pulled it silently shut behind him, finding himself in a dark stairwell. His eyes automatically adjusted, one of the advantages to suppressing only some of his metahuman traits. He didn't pause to scan his surroundings, making his way down the stairs on some kind of instinct.

The young man found himself pushing into the main offices themselves three floors down. Something in his head was insisting that this was where the bullet had come from. He listened to that instinct, making his way cautiously towards the offices whose windows would face the podium the mayor had been speaking at. He checked the office one by one, searching for shadows or disturbances. There had to be something that might given him a hint about who had done this.

He hesitated for a moment in one doorway, something about the room feeling off to him, when a dark shadow fell over his shoulder. Dick's muscle went taught in an instant and he tried to spin around only to have a hand clamp down hard on his shoulder. If he would have been fully human, there would have been bruises blooming under the harsh grip like flowers in spring. Dick's hand snapped up to land over the glove, reaching for the wrist. Before he could seek out pressure points that would force his assailant to release him, the hand released his shoulder and grabbed his other arm. twisting it up behind his back.

Dick's brain rushed over the pros and cons of breaking his own arm to get free. If he had been fully off the pill that hindered the electrum in his system he would have done it in a heartbeat but on half a pill it would take a couple days for the bone to heal. That hesitation was a mistake that got his head rammed hard into the wall. Drywall crumbled into powder that coated his hair but he shook off the disorientation quickly enough, twisting his wrist slightly to test his attacker's grip. That motioned ended abruptly when his arm was twisted further up his back, almost to the breaking point. Dick growled low in his throat, the sound anything but human, as his free hand slipped a blade from his utility belt. Bruce would hardly approve of the weapon but Dick didn't care. It wasn't like the man had approved of anything his ward had done in the past couple years.

Dick drove the blade backwards, using what extra strength he had to force it through the armor and into skin. He twisted then, dislocating his arm and using the man's surprise to slip free, ramming a knee upwards toward the gut. A hand deflected the blow and Dick saw the flash of a knife, barely twisting out of the way of the blade. His dislocated arm ached, reminding him that he needed to force it back into its socket soon if he wanted his healing to fix it correctly. Teeth bared in an almost feral snarl, he sent a blow flying towards his attacker's throat, part of his mind noting the dual colored mask the man wore. The build said it was the same person as the night before, which meant Dick could afford to let this fight drag on. He needed to finish it quickly.

A blow aimed at his already wounded arm had him twisting away into another hit. His head bounced off the wall again and throbbed in silent agony as a hiss escaped between his clenched teeth. He tried a kick but was a little too disoriented to aim it properly and another hit to the head got through his defense. Dick's mind whirred as he back up a step, searching for a way to retreat as panic hummed in the back of his mind. A fist to the gut ended that thought process abruptly and yet another blow to the head sent him slumping towards the ground, blackness rushing across his vision like the oncoming tide.


	4. Episode Four: Keeping Up Appearances

_Author's Note:_ Thanks to _Guest_ (Yes it is. I just needed to establish Nightwing and give Oliver time to being creating his vigilante persona. And you get to see the beginning of how Bruce becomes his mentor in this chapter as well) and_ spiderman1fan_ (Glad you're enjoying it! And that's coming, not that Oliver will be pleased about it) for reviewing the last chapter! I own nothing.

* * *

_My name is Richard Grayson. When I was ten my parents fell to their deaths and I was taken in by the Court. They taught me to kill by destroying everything that made me human. Batman saved me and, in order to repay him, I swore an oath to uphold justice. But every bird eventually has to leave the nest. Now is my time to step out from underneath Batman's wings and learn to fly._

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months** **Previously **

_The Talon woke in slow increments, aches and pains from the fight against the Bat already faded away to nothingness. Touch came back first, allowing him to tell that his arms and legs were strapped down by some kind of metal cuffs. Smell followed, bringing in the scents of cold water, metal, and sweat. Taste and sight came back together, reveal a cave with bats lurking in the darkness above and the coppery flavor of old blood in his mouth. Hearing was last, the dreadful silencing fading away to reveal the rustle of the bats, the distant thundering of a waterfall, and the clicking of keyboard keys as someone busily typed away._

_Dread settled heavily in the Talon's stomach as he cautiously tested the strength of the restraints. He had failed. Batman's reputation was untarnished and Bruce Wayne still lived. Worse yet was the knowledge that the Talon was trapped. The Court would be anything but pleased when they came to retrieve him. Chances were good that he might not survive the retrieval._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 27, 11:10 PM**

Dick felt slow and drugged. Every limb felt too heavy to move and his shoulder throbbed. His brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to remember what had happened or why he was staring at a clean white ceiling. The ceiling of his apartment was covered and water stains and his one at Wayne manor was dark blue with silver stars painted across it. Neither one was a white popcorn ceiling. His arm throbbed again and memories began trickling back. He'd been watching the mayor's speech when the man was shot. He managed to track the shooter to an office complex and the pair had struggled. During the fight, Dick's arm had been dislocated and he'd been rendered unconscious. He'd expected to be dead.

It felt odd to come to without a frantic voice or two demanding to know where he was or what happened. If he'd gone down in Gotham, Babs would have been on the line within minutes trying to figure out what had happened. Before Jason, Bruce would have been on the line too, demanding a report at the very least. In the 'Haven, every was quiet.

Dick was fairly certain he was still in the same office complex as he had been before and a quick glance at the a dent in the wall that was roughly the size of his head confirmed his suspicions. "Okay," he muttered, sitting up slowly. His shoulder throbbed uncomfortably, still out of place, but the rest of his bruises were already faded away. He'd been out for a couple hours at the very least then but he wasn't tied up and his location hadn't changed. "This is new," Dick said just to fill the overwhelming silence. He'd been knocked out plenty of times since he'd started taking the pills but he'd always woken up as a hostage. Unexpected was too mild a word to describe what had just happened.

He pushed himself carefully to his feet, muscles feeling as if he had strained them far past what he should have. His hearing only detected the ticking of a second hand on a nearby clock so he made his way carefully back towards the stairs, muscles stretching out as he moved. He climbed the stairs to the roof and glanced down at the streets below, shocked by what he saw. At least one building was burning, care alarms were screeching somewhere in the slums, and people were running everywhere, screaming and waving weapons. A gunshot made him flinch and he launched himself off the roof, headed towards flickering flames in the distance. He had work to do, even if he had to go into his job the next day.

* * *

**Episode Four: Keeping Up Appearances**

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_The Talon froze mid-struggle when Batman rose from his chair and crossed the floor on silent feet to loom over the boy. The young assassin lifted blazing yellow eyes to focus on the white lenses of the cowl, attempting to appear unafraid. Part of being a talon was the ability to completely hide emotions from both voice and body language, leaving the assassin a blank slate. The pair studied one another for a moment. Then the Bat pushed back his cowl to reveal the serious yet worn face of Bruce Wayne. "I know who you are," Wayne said and the Talon felt something inside him go cold.  
_

_"I am Talon," the young assassin replied, fear coiling in his gut._

_"No," came the surprisingly gentle response. "You are Richard Grayson, son of John and Mary Grayson." The Talon felt something inside him begin to crumble at that even as he shook his head.  
_

_"No," he snarled. "I am Talon." His voice cracked and there was pity in Wayne's blue-grey eyes. Talon didn't want pity, he wanted the headache beginning to throb in the front of his skull to go away. He wanted the sweet oblivion of cold storage where he didn't have to think or dream or feel. Most of all, Talon wanted to know why he felt as if he was being torn apart._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 28, 5:58 AM**

"Call me as soon as you get in Dick," Barbara's voice announced from the answering machine as soon as an exhausted Dick Grayson pressed the button. Nightwing had been patrolling the city since he'd roused himself, muscles aching, and he was completely exhausted but he knew better than to go to bed without calling the red head. If she didn't hear from him soon then a certain Bat would be knocking on his door, either as Batman or as Bruce Wayne, and Dick just didn't have the energy to deal with that sort of confrontation. He was lucky she hadn't already sent Bruce after him.

It took two tries for him to pick up the phone and then a couple minutes for him to remember Barbara's number so he could actually call her. The eighteen year old slumped on his ancient couch, springs squealing in protest, while he listened to it ring twice.

"All knowing Oracle,"Barbara said in answer and then Dick could hear her yawn.

"You said to call," he replied, fighting down his own yawn. All he wanted to do at the moment was curl up in his bed and sleep for a week. He was calling off work as soon as he got off the phone with Babs.

"Yes I did," she informed him. "If you hadn't called soon I was going to come there myself to help. The 'Haven looks like a mess."

"At least it isn't burning anymore." Barbara snorted, which told Dick exactly what she thought about that particular statement.

"Your job burnt down," she informed him and he let out a little sigh.

"Break it to me gently Babs."

"You don't sound too torn up about it."

"Only because I'm fighting sleep. It was a rough patrol."

"Are you okay?" Concern filled Barbara's voice for a moment.

"I'm fine," Dick lied, not wanting to tell her about the struggle that had rendered him unconscious. Barbara was the first friend he'd ever had in Gotham but she was still working with Bruce and if she was really worried about him then she probably wouldn't keep what had happened a secret. That meant that Bat would be showing up long before Dick was ready to see him, probably with the replacement Robin in town. "Just tired. What did you need Babs?"

"There's something going on in Starling City. People interested in purchasing the company called Unidac Industries are turning up dead, "Barbara told him, voice all business. "You're the closest so I told Bruce you'd go to Starling as the representative for Wayne Enterprises to check it out."

"_What?_" Dick yelped, suddenly feeling more awake.

"Think of it this way," Barbara continued, obviously irritated. "If Bruce was going to Starling City he'd also stop by Bludhaven to check on you. This way you don't have to worry about Batman stepping on your toes."

"Okay," Dick agreed reluctantly, seeing the logic in that. "But you owe me for this Babs."

"I know," she replied. "Get some sleep and then get your butt over to Starling Boy Wonder."

"Sure thing BG," he told her cheerfully and then hung up the phone. It took more effort than he would have liked to roll to his feet so he could head towards the bedroom, intending to change out of the Nightwing outfit before getting a few hours of sleep and then heading to Starling.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_The Talon wasn't sure how long had passed before the Bat descended again into the cave where he was bound. In the time that Bruce Wayne had been absent, he had been overwhelmed by memories. They were often blurry and out of focus, as if someone had tried to wash them away, but that didn't make them any less poignant. He was soaked in sweat after the onslaught and feeling exhausted despite the fact that a talon did not sleep. The Court's assassin were put away in cold storage, kept dormant for a time, but they were not supposed to require any sleep. Instead their duty was to complete the tasks assigned to them as well as protecting the Court at all costs.  
_

_Wayne approached, footsteps deliberately echoing as if to give the young assassin fair warning that someone else was arriving. Talon had heard the man descending into the cave long ago but he would not mention that. The less Wayne knew about the Court, the better off the boy would be in the end. If he could keep the Court's secrets then maybe they would only rehabilitate him instead of eliminate him. Wayne stopped in front of him, a bottle of water cradled carefully in one hand. Talon became aware of how dry his throat had become. They studied each other warily before Wayne uncapped the bottle and lifted it to the boy's mouth. Talon drank, enjoying the cool liquid bathing his throat. Wayne was careful not to choke him and Talon managed several swallows before the bottle was pulled away.  
_

_"Do you remember what happened?" Wayne asked. "How you reached this point?"_

_"No," Talon replied but he was lying. He remembered people, family, falling to topple like broken dolls towards the unrelenting ground. Wayne studied him but nodded once, turning away. Talon watched him go from beneath mostly shuttered eyelids. Wayne hunched over the computer, appearing worn and thin. The clicking of keys lulled the talon to sleep, the squeaking of bats reassuring to his sensitive ears._

* * *

**Starling City, Delaware. October 28, 5:15 PM**

"So what do you have for me Babs?" Dick asked, standing in front of the window of his hotel room.

"The main contender for Unidac Industries is Queen Consolidated," the red head replied. "Walter Steele is the CEO of that company. He is currently married to Moira Queen whose husband, Robert, was killed when the yacht _The Queen's Gambit_ sank five years ago. Moira's son Oliver has returned to the land of the living but refuses to take his proper place in the company and his younger sister, Thea, has been busted for shoplifting and other problems in increasing amounts in the past couple years. She's a year younger than you and Oliver is twenty-five."

"And what's my excuse for being there? Wayne Enterprises isn't interested in Unidac Industries unless Bruce has changed his mind since a month ago," Dick informed her, quickly absorbing everything she had told him.

"You're just there to mingle and rub elbows with the rich," came easy reply. "The relationship between Queen Consolidated and Wayne Enterprises has been worn thin since Robert Queen died. You're there to repair it as best as you can."

"Without even having a date?" Dick whined. "You really, seriously owe me after this BG."

"I know Boy Wonder," was Barbara's playful reply. "But you'll survive. Just make sure you wear the kevlar underneath your suit. You might need it."

"Got it," Dick said. "I'll call you when all this is over."

"Stay safe," Barbara ordered before hanging up on him. Dick sighed and let his arm fall to his side. Exhaustion still tugged at him, it was an hour drive from the 'Haven to Starling City, so he pulled the curtains shut and headed for the bed. He could grab an hour of sleep before he had to get up and prepare for the auction. After all, if he was going to mingle with the rich he would need to look his best.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_The talon woke when Batman's vehicle rumbled out of the cave. His eyes snapped open and he found himself staring upwards at the irritated bats chirping and fluttering their wings. They settled after a moment and Talon allowed that to calm him. He had been dreaming of gentle hands brushing through his hair and a woman singing to him in a language he almost understood. The memories brought tears to his eyes although he could not explain why he was crying. He pulled in a shuddering breath and let it out, steadying himself._

_It took only a moment to list what he knew for certain. The Court had somehow made him forget everything about himself. Wayne had spoken to Talon as if he had known exactly who the boy had been. By this time the young assassin was certain that the Court of Owls had decided Talon was not coming back. That meant they would send out another talon after Wayne, one that might managed to eliminate the Bat. Bruce Wayne was the only lead Talon had to discover the truth about himself. Therefore he would have to get free and ensure that Batman was not killed. _

_With that thought in mind, Talon began to work on the restraints. Wayne had done an excellent job ensure that the restraints would be impossible to escape from if the captive were unwilling to injure himself to escape. Talon had no such qualms. The electrum the Court had gifted him with would help him heal at an extraordinarily fast rate. Carefully twisting his wrist, the talon broke his thumb, ignoring the brief flash of pain as he pulled his hand free. He went through the same process with the second one and carefully maneuvered the broken bones into the correct positions, ignoring the fact that his nerves were shrieking in pain. He breathed in, breathed out, and then went to work forcing the cuffs around his legs open. He could not afford to break anything there. He needed to be able to move freely on his feet in order to rescue Wayne if necessary._

* * *

**Starling City, Delaware. October 28, 7:45 PM**

Dick hated formal events for the rich. When Bruce had first taken him in, the boy had managed to avoid these kinds of things because the man had been uncertain whether or not the boy would kill dinner guests if he became annoyed, but now he had no excuse. Dick Grayson was officially Bruce Wayne's heir, although Jason would probably take his place in that aspect too, and as Wayne's heir he was expected to attend public events with a smile on his face. It had been easier when he was still in Gotham and able to take Babs as his date. The red head was witty, good tempered, and Dick had been a little bit in love with her since he'd stopped contemplating the mass murder of the Court of Owls. He missed her, but not enough to crawl back to Gotham and beg for his position at Bruce's side.

That left him in the middle of an auction mingling with a false smile and searching for Walter Steele. He didn't actually know Steele but Babs had sent him a picture and Dick had done his best to memorize the features before his arrival at the auction. It wasn't a very effective way to search for someone. His wandering resulting in him almost knocking down a young woman with curly dark brown hair and green eyes. He managed to catch her before she toppled over, face flushing slightly because he definitely should have been more aware of his surroundings, "I'm sorry," he apologized as the young woman glanced up at him, an irritated expression on her face. That expression faded away, replaced by a pale pink flush when she got a good look at him. Dick was used to that. Women at high society parties tended to swoon over his looks, something that never ceased to amuse Barbara.

"It's okay," the young woman replied, allowing a smile to slide on to her face. "We were both a little distracted." She hesitated a moment and then held out her hand. "I'm Thea Queen."

Silently thanking whatever deity was listening for this piece of good fortune, Dick gently took her hand and kissed the back of it lightly. "Richard Grayson. It's lovely to meet you Miss Queen." Thea blushed even brighter red at that and Dick bit back the urge to laugh. Her embarrassment was adorable but he didn't want her to think that he was making fun of her.

"Oh there you are Thea," a female voice announced from behind the young Queen's shoulder. "I've been looking for you."

"Sorry Mom," Thea replied, turning with a smile towards the woman despite the fact that her cheeks were still pink. "I got a little turned around in the crowd." The woman, who Dick could safely assume was Moira Queen, smiled at her daughter and then turned her attention to Dick.

"There is quite a crowd here. And who might this be?"

"Mom, this is Richard Grayson. Richard Grayson, my mother, Moira Queen," Thea said primly. "We bumped into each other."

"Oh really?" Moira questioned with an arch of her elegant eyebrows as Dick kissed the back of her hand.

"Quite literally, I'm afraid," Dick said with a charming smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Queen."

"The pleasure is mine," Moira returned, unaffected by Dick's smile. This woman was not someone who was easily fooled. "Richard Grayson," she mused. "From Wayne Enterprises, right?"

"Yes," Dick agreed, smile still in place. "Bruce was unable to make it here and mingle so he sent me in his stead."

"It's a pleasure to have you here," Moira told him, tone mild. "Have you met Walter yet?"

"No ma'am," Dick replied, hiding his triumph behind respect. This night's mission had just been simplified, if only by a little.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_Dark clouds loomed overhead as Talon made his way carefully across the rooftops of Gotham's slums. It had taken far more time than he would have liked to escape so now a mistake could be fatal. If he turned the wrong direction he might find Wayne already dead, killed by a triumphant talon whose skills had been honed over the centuries. The thought both worried and angered the young assassin, making it easier to ignore the pain of his still healing fingers. So far he had seen no sign of the Court but that meant nothing. There were talons who had been given far more training than he had and even he knew how to move through Gotham without being spotted._

_Talon found Batman fighting two of the Court's other assassins by the docks. He dropped from the sky to land on the shoulders of one, flipping off them as the other assassin stumbled. Batman sent the other one crashing into the harbor. The Bat turned in time to see Talon crushing the throat of his opponent. It wouldn't kill the other talon but it would incapacitate the older assassin for the time being. "How did you free yourself?" the Bat rumbled, all business. The Talon held up his hand, revealing his injured finger, and the Bat dipped his head slightly. "Why are you here?"  
_

_"I want answers," Talon rasped, yellow eyes fixed on the white lenses of Batman's cowl. There was a long moment of silence broken only by the raspy breathing of the talon on the ground who was slowly healing. At last, the Bat nodded._

* * *

**Starling City, Delaware. October 28, 8:00 PM**

Moira and Thea Queen led Dick through the crowd to where two men were conversing. They didn't appear to be related in any way but Moira greeted them both cheerfully and Thea's eyes brightened at the sight of the younger man. Dick suspected the older of the two was Walter Steele but he wasn't entirely certain. "Mr. Grayson," Moira said, motioning to him with the arm that wasn't around the sandy haired man. "This is my son, Oliver, and my husband Walter. Walter, Oliver, this is Richard Grayson from Wayne Enterprises."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Dick said, hoping he was keeping a professional smile on his face. Oliver had the same false smile fixed on his face but under that was worry and the man lurking at his shoulder was obviously a bodyguard. Something was definitely going on here. Oliver, Thea, and Moira scattered after the introductions but Walter wanted to talk business. Dick obliged the man, trying to watch to room around him while struggling to remember what Wayne Enterprises was actually working on. That was when he noticed the red dot. He wasn't the only one.

Walter was in mid-sentence when a cop tackled him to the ground. The missing bullet hissed by Dick's ear and he too dropped to the ground, suddenly extremely glad that he had taken Barbara's advice and worn his uniform underneath his suit. The kevlar weave would protect him from major injury due to a bullet. People were screaming everywhere and the officer was pulling Steele away towards the door. Dick rose cautiously and watched as Oliver's bodyguard led Thea and Moira Queen out with the crowd. Oliver Queen, in contrast, was running towards a stairwell. Dick's eyes narrowed but he didn't have time to chase after the Queen heir. He had to catch the sniper.

Outside, as a member of the frightened crowd, Dick rushed to calculate the trajectory of the bullet. His eyes fell on the correct building and a slim smile crossed his face. Fading out of the crowd into a back alley, the eighteen year old pressed on a domino mask before stripping out of his suit. His Nightwing uniform left in view, Dick headed for the building at a flat out sprint through the shadows. Hopefully he could get there in time to stop the shooter from killing anyone else. He scrambled up the stairs, heading for the floor he guessed was the one the shooter was on, hearing voices. There was a thump, like a body falling, and Dick increased his speed. He burst through the door in time to see a man in a green hood helping Oliver Queen's bodyguard down a different set of stairs.

At the sound of Dick's approach, the man in the hood spun around and the young man got a glimpse of who he thought was Oliver Queen. Nightwing froze, eyes widening behind the white lenses of his domino. The hooded guy was reaching for something at his belt when Queen's bodyguard groaned. The other vigilante turned and hurried down the stairs with the unconscious bodyguard, Dick too shocked to give chase. Then the eighteen year old's eyes fell on the body lying on the ground. There was an arrow through a single eye and a sniper rifle lying nearby.

Dick scrambled across the floor to kneel next to the body, pulling his cell out of his boot. He brought Babs's number up on speed dial and prayed she'd pick up on the first ring as he felt for a pulse. "The amazing Batgirl here," the red head announced.

"The assassin is barely alive," Dick reported. "It was Floyd Lawton."

"Deadshot?" Batgirl asked. "Who got him?"

"Someone shot him in the eye with an arrow," Dick told her. "I'm going to stick around for a couple more days, okay?"

"Call with daily reports," Babs ordered.

"You've got it."

"Okay then," Babs told him. "I'll tell B not to freak out if he doesn't see you on security cameras in the 'Haven for a while."

"_Really_," Dick groaned at the revelation that his guardian had been tracking him. Babs just sighed.

"Not the point," she told him. "Oh, there's something else you should know. There's been-"

"It's gonna have to wait," Dick told her, hearing the thundering of approaching footsteps. "Cops are coming." Then he hung up and scrambled for the window.

Miles away in Gotham City, Barbara Gordon sighed and said, "a series of assassinations of high ranking officials in Bludhaven. Not that you heard me say that." Knowing it would do no good to call him back, she turned her attention towards the soon to be attempted mugging below her, glad she'd set up her phone to forward all calls to her comm. Meanwhile Nightwing launched himself into the Starling City night.


	5. Episode Five: Stumbling Block

_Author's Note:_ Thanks to _spiderman1fan_ (It's going to be an interesting confrontation between them), _rey_ (Oliver's been a little busy at the moment so he hasn't yet figured out that any other heroes exist. And I'm glad you're enjoying it!), and _missvisibleninja_ (I wasn't exactly aware of where Starling City was at nor could I find a specific state but the show makes it seem like its within a few hours of Bludhaven, or at least that was the impression I got. For the purpose of this story, Starling is going to stay in Delaware but thank you for enlightening me!) for reviewing the last chapter! I own nothing.

* * *

_My name is Richard Grayson. When I was ten my parents fell to their deaths and I was taken in by the Court. They taught me to kill by destroying everything that made me human. Batman saved me and, in order to repay him, I swore an oath to uphold justice. But every bird eventually has to leave the nest. Now is my time to step out from underneath Batman's wings and learn to fly._

* * *

**Starling City, Delaware. October 29, 10:15 AM**

Dick rolled out of bed at the chirp of his cell warning him that the battery was low. He hadn't called Babs back after he'd almost been caught by the Starling City police with the mostly dead Deadshot, not wanting to interrupt whatever she was working on as Batgirl. The last thing he wanted to do was distract her during a vital operation and get her killed. Dick dug through his bag to pull out the charge cord plugged it into the wall before grabbing his phone. There were two missed calls, one from work and one from Bruce. Dick dismissed both of them, making a mental note that he needed to check his voicemail to see what someone from work had wanted, before attaching the charge cord to the phone. He momentarily considered going back to bed and then decided he had slept long enough. If he didn't want to make people suspicious he needed to get up, shower, and figure out what he was going to do today.

Stalking Oliver Queen was not a practical way to figure out if the recently returned to life man, and didn't that sound familiar, was really a vigilante. If he was in Gotham, Dick might have pulled it off regardless of whether or not it was practical but here he would need to try something else. Similar to the stalking idea, popping in on the vigilante wouldn't be the wisest choice either. Especially considering the fact that the man had shot Deadshot in the eye with an arrow the night before. Dick could end up dead somewhere before he even got close enough to cause any damage. That meant he needed an in somewhere, someone who knew the area and might be able to give some idea of where the guy in the hood might be making his base or operating. He would have to go out and try to blend in. Luckily for him, blending into the shadows had been a requirement both as a Talon and as Robin.

Game plan established, he showered, dressed in casual clothes, and left his phone to charge in the hotel room while he made his way from the gleaming monstrosities of modern architecture that made up Starling's downtown area towards the more run down residential area where Starling City's poor would try to make a living. As he walked, the gazes people gave him became more and more wary, making it obvious that even his hoodie and jeans were too nice and too new for this area. Like the slums of Gotham, this area was home to drug dealers and scum of the earth. Mixed in with that crowd were people just trying to survive. It made this a bad place to linger if you had money, unless you had the training Dick had been pushed through. Between the Court's brainwashing and Batman's extensive training program, Dick could floor most people within a minute and continue on his way as if nothing had happened. He pushed on, searching for some way to contact the man in the hood.

* * *

**Episode Five: Stumbling Block**

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_Returning to the cave, this time of his own free will instead of as a prisoner, felt strange. Talon had not made so many decision about his own fate in a long time and he had forgotten how empowering being able to do so really was. Mixed in with that power was almost crippling fear. Batman had insisted they leave the other assassins behind, still breathing, which meant the Court would soon learn of his betrayal. The thought of being dragged back for brutal re-education made his stomach churn and his hands shake. No matter what happened next, no matter what Wayne told him, Talon would not be going back to the Court. He would die before he surrendered to them again.  
_

_The dark vehicle rumbled to a halt and Talon slid out, listening the the sounds of bats squeaking and rustling overhead. Batman stepped out as well and the cowl was pulled off to reveal Bruce Wayne. The man crossed to the computer and typed for a moment, gaze fixed intently on whatever appeared on the screen. After a moment he beckoned Talon close. The young assassin was greeted by the sight of a young boy with big blue eyes and a wide smile standing between a beaming man and woman. They were wearing some kind of uniform and there seemed to be some kind of spotlight on them. Talon stared at them, something in his chest aching. He felt as if he should know who those people were but he couldn't explain why._

* * *

**Starling City, Delaware. October 29, 11:02 AM**

Dick made his way into the back alleys of Starling's poorest district, eyes scanning buildings. Chances were good that the hood guy would be around this area often. If he didn't have any luck today then he would have to come here after sunset in his Nightwing gear and hope the other vigilante didn't decide to kill him on sight. It was not good odds. Dick might have been harder to kill than most people but on the pill a well placed arrow would kill him. Then Babs would figure out how to bring him back to life just so she could kill him again.

"_Hey!_" a voice called from behind him, brash and overconfident. "Hey, _you!_" Dick took a moment to wipe the smirk off his face before turning to face whoever was yelling at him.

"You're talking to me?" he questioned mildly as three young men, probably a couple of years older than him, in worn hoodies, overlarge blue jeans, and shoes with holes in the soles.

"Yeah we're talking to you rich boy," the ringleader said, a wide smirk on his face. "You made a mistake in coming here."

"Did I?" Dick arched a single eyebrow at the trio, unimpressed.

"Yeah," the ringleader sneered as his companions cracked his knuckles. "You did."

Dick shifted his weight subtly, readying himself to fight back. If anyone bothered to question his abilities later he would be able to pass it off as self defense courtesy of Bruce Wayne. The three jumped him in clumsy unison and Dick smoothly ducked the first punch. "_Hey!"_ a new voice yelled and someone else joined in on the mess, helping Dick take down his attackers. The movements said the slightly older boy was accustomed to street fighting only but, that being said, he was good. In a matter of a couple minutes Dick's three attackers were scrambling away to nurse their wounds while Dick turned to face his assistant.

"Thanks," Dick said, grinning and offering his hand to his new friend. "I'm Dick Grayson."

"Roy Harper," was the wary response and the grip, when they shook hands, was strong.

"Nice to meet you," Dick told him, grin still in place. "You're good."

"So are you," came the reluctant admission.

"I try." That earned him a wary smile, which only made Dick's grin widen.

There was a moment of silence and then Roy asked, "What's someone like you doing in the Glades?"

"Like me?"

Roy shook his head as if Dick were being particularly dense. "You've got more money than most people in the Glades probably in your wallet and you're wandering around here like its a tourist trap. Are you stupid or something?"

"Maybe," Dick shrugged with a cheerful grin on his face. "I've been called worse." He had. Gotham City criminals were good at that kind of thing. Dick had heard some of the most creative swearing in his time as Robin, patrolling the Narrows as Batman's sidekick. Roy arched disbelieving eyebrows towards his hairline but didn't comment. "Since I'm being such an idiot, mind showing me around?"

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_"Their names are Mary and John Grayson," Wayne told the Talon as his yellow-gold eyes continued to stay fixed on the screen. "The boy in between them is you." There was a moment's hesitation and then the man added, "Your name is Richard John Grayson. Six months ago you witnessed your parents fall to their deaths because someone sabotaged the trapeze wires here in Gotham. You vanished the night of the tragic incident after being interviewed by the police." Talon began shake and when he closed his eyes for a moment he saw a flash of red hair, heard and older girl's screams. "I am sorry." Wayne rested a hand on Talon's shoulder for a moment as the assassin began to cry softly, then stepped away. It didn't matter._

_With his eyes closed, the young assassin could see his parents falling and felt again as if he were being ripped in two. Memories played across the backs of his eyelids and tears dripped down his cheeks as he silently mourned for all he had lost. He mourned for the deaths of his parents, for the chance at real happiness his cousin John and Raya might have had, for the fate of his aunt and uncle, and most of all for the senseless deaths of his family. When he opened his eyes, Talon had been pushed to the back of his mind and Dick Grayson burned with anger over the murder of his family._

* * *

**Starling City, Delaware. October 29, 12:20 AM**

"What's that?" Dick questioned, eyes fixed on a massive building with the gates sealed shut. Queen was painted on it in peeling white capital letters but it looked as if it hadn't been used in years.

"The old Queen iron foundry," Roy replied, tone dark. "A huge amount of the people scraping out a living in the Glades now were once workers in there. Then Robert Queen shut it down and put everyone out of a job." Dick nodded, expression grim, and turned his gaze away from the building. Similar things had happened in Gotham and the lack of jobs paying liveable wages caused trouble. He and Roy had been wandering the Glades for almost an hour now and while Dick had seen several promising options for hideouts of a vigilante, none of them had really stood out to him. The foundry was no different, just another tragic story in the history of Starling City residents. They rounded a corner and Roy asked, "What are _you_ doing in Starling anyway? I mean don't you live in Gotham with that billionaire, Wayne?"

Dick successfully hid his wince at the mention of Bruce and considered how to reply. He liked Roy's attitude and his capability but nobody deserved to be thrown into the middle of his mess with Bruce, not even Babs who had known him for years. "Bruce and I aren't speaking," he said at last. "At least right now. I came last to represent Wayne Enterprises at the auction of Unidac Industries but otherwise I've had nothing to do with him for a while now."

"I understand that," Roy said. Dick glanced sidelong at the older boy who smirked at him. "My dad was a bastard when he was alive. I was glad to see him go." Dick nodded once and the two made their way down the street towards the more populated part of town.

"Thanks for the tour," Dick told Roy with a slight smirk which was returned.

"No problem. Try to stay out of the Glades after dark though. You might be good but all the crazies come out then."

"I'll keep that in mind," Dick replied before walking away, mind buzzing with possible plans. He had to figure this out, if for no other reason than to know something before Bruce ever realized there was a vigilante in Starling City.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_It took Dick a moment to turn away from the screen, hands clenching into trembling fists. Thanks to the Court, he was stronger than he'd ever been before and he wanted to use that strength to get revenge on the man who had destroyed his family. First though, there was the matter of the Court to deal with. Dick was never going to be able to track down his family's murderer on his own. He would need help and his best bet would be Wayne. That meant he needed to stop the Court. "I want to find the person who did this to my family, and I want to bring them down," he told Wayne, voice cold despite the tears still drying on his cheeks. "But the Court is more important now." Wayne nodded once and Dick suspected that was the only confirmation he was going to obtain. He turned back to the computer to fix those smiling faces in his mind. They had been taken from him once and he vowed silently that it was never going to happen again.  
_

_"Do you have a map of Gotham?" he questioned, turning away from the picture. Wayne approached and tapped a few keys on the computer, bringing up a map in place of the smiling faces of the Grayson family. Dick scanned it, trying to place street names from what he remembered of leaving the Court. "Where did I attack you?"_

_"Here," Wayne replied, zooming in so he could indicate the correct street. Dick took over manipulating the map after a few clumsy attempts at the computer, well aware of the slim, almost there smile on Wayne's face, and began to retrace his route through the city. He would find the Court and erase them from existence. Then he would find the man who had murdered his family and make that man wish he had never been born._

* * *

**Starling City, Delaware. October 29, 1:45 PM**

Dick stepped into his hotel room, carry-out bag in hand. He'd stopped for lunch after leaving Roy, knowing if he didn't take a break at that point, he never would. He'd gotten the food to go and now his plan was to settle in for a nap before he had to dress as Nightwing and make his way out into Starling. He dropped the bag on his bed and unplugged his phone, frowning at the number of missed calls he had. Twelve of them, all from Barbara Gordon. She'd left a message after the last one but that knowledge didn't stop the worry from churning in his gut. He dialed his voicemail, pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed while he waited to key in his password. The mechanical voice informed him that he had two unheard voicemail messages and then moved on to the first one.

"Hi Dick, this is David Winslow from Carolyne's," his manager's voice announced. "I'm just calling everyone to let them know that the bar was partially burned down during the riots after the mayor's death and is closed. Your last paycheck will be sent to your home address and we'll call you if we decide to rebuild and open up again. Thank you for all your hard work." Dick deleted the message, foot tapping impatiently as he waited for the next one to begin.

"Dick, I really need you to call me back," Barbara's voice said. "There's some things you really need to know about." There was a pause and then she added, voice tight with worry, "Call me by sunset tonight or I'm sending Bruce after you." Dick had hung up on his voicemail in an instant and dialed Barbara's number from memory. She answered the phone at the end of the first ring. "Yes?"

"Don't send Bruce," Dick replied immediately, hoping the situation wasn't bad enough that he couldn't get a laugh. The comment didn't even earn him a snort.

"I should have. Do you have any idea what's going on in Bludhaven right now?"

"No," Dick told her. "I've been out in Starling all morning."

"There's been a series of assassinations of key government officials that were agreeing with Mayor Ford's plan to revitalize the city," the red head informed him, all business. "They've all been professional hits and I've looked but I can't find the killer on camera. The city is in chaos right now and the police are, for the most part, useless." Dick swore softly and ran a hand through his dark hair as he listened. "You have to do something," Barbara finished, her voice rising slightly by the end of her speech.

"Do what?" Dick asked dismally, no longer hungry. "I've already failed. I set out to prove to Bruce that I could protect a city on my own, that I was capable of doing things without him, that I didn't need him just as much as he didn't need me, and all I've done is left the city I set out to protect fall into chaos and destruction." He took a deep breathing, locking away his emotions and pulling the part of him that was more Talon than Nightwing or Dick Grayson, and added, "I need to go back and make things right."

"I'll come help you," Barbara said immediately. "Batgirl does enough of her own work that no one will question what I'm doing in Bludhaven."

"No."

"_What?_" the red head demanded, voice sharp.

"No," Dick repeated, voice void of emotion as he moved mechanically to pack up his things. "I have to fix this myself Barbara. I have to prove I can do this."

"To who?" Barbara snapped at him. "Who are you trying to convince; Bruce or yourself?"

"Does it matter?" Dick asked, voice breaking a little.

"Yes, it does," she told him. "Because if you're trying to convince yourself, you should know that everyone already knows you can do this. You have nothing to prove to anyone. And if you're doing this because of Bruce, forget him. I'll give him a piece of my mind if he even so much as suggests that calling for help at a time like this makes you any less of a hero." Dick let her words soothe some of the raging insecurities inside him but he did not allow them to sway him.

"Thank you Babs," he told her. "But that's not why I don't want you to come to the 'Haven. I'm going to become a monster to save a city, and I don't want you to witness that." He heard his oldest friend's intake of breath and knew she finally realized what he was going to do. By sunset the majority of the pill in his system that kept him from being a fully fledged Talon would wear off. Dick would be able to use his more advanced abilities to then track down the assassin and set the city back on the correct track.

"Stay safe," she said at last. "And call me when you're finished."

"I promise," Dick agreed, and hung up the phone. He had packing to finish.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_It took Dick half an hour to retrace his steps so he would confidently be able to determine where the Court of Owls was located. "They're operating from below the city," the boy informed Wayne. "The entrance I came out of is here, located in the basement of a semi-abandoned building. There are most likely other entrances but I was not entrusted with knowledge about them."_

_"Do you know how many active assassins there are?" Wayne questioned, eyes fixed on the building Dick had indicated on the map._

_"Maybe half a dozen," the boy replied. "There are fifteen currently but most of them are kept in cold storage and, to my knowledge, it takes at least an hour for one to thaw out." He waited patiently while the man considered the information._

_"The Court will already know you are missing," Wayne said at last, voice void of emotion. "That means we can afford to take some time to plan our attack."_

_"Wait too long and they'll have killed you before you can strike," Dick warned._

_"I know how to strategize," Wayne replied, voice a low warning rumble. "And I know that without a proper plan the Court of Owls will kill us both. We take the time to plan properly and then we strike tomorrow night before they have time to move their entire base. Understand?"_

_"I understand." Dick might not have approved but he knew that he needed Batman's help so he would go along with what the man said for now._

* * *

**Starling City, Delaware. October 29, 7:45 PM**

Nightwing raced through Starling City, motorcycle rumbling through red lights with no disregard for the danger. He had forced himself to eat and rest after his conversation with Barbara, knowing he would get himself killed if he didn't wait until the medication wore off. He was unaware that following him from a safe distance was a man in a green hood. Instead the eighteen year old was focused on one thing; saving what he could of Bludhaven.

Behind him, Oliver Queen kept his eyes fixed on the dark back of the vigilante he was following. He had been startled to discover someone else tracking Lawton down but he hadn't had time to do much more than catch a glimpse of the other vigilante. Now he needed to figure out whether or not this newcomer would be a threat to Starling and his operation. If necessary, Oliver Queen would take this vigilante down in order to protect his family.


	6. Episode Six: The Man in the Hood

_Author's Note:_ Sorry for the delay in posting! This episode turned out to be more difficult to write than I expected. Thanks to _spiderman1fan_ (Well it isn't quite a conversation yet but there will eventually be one), _rey_ (I haven't really gone into much detail but Bruce and Dick did have a huge argument that sent Dick to Bludhaven. It's mentioned a little in his conversation with Barbara but you'll get more details later), _TVHeroVComicHero_ (I will admit that it isn't a very even match up but there are certain factors that even it out), _TheAsterousAuthor_ (Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it! As for relationships, I honestly can't say what there will be. When I write a story I normally don't plan out pairings, especially not one like this where the focus is more on character development and change than relationships. And nice call on the assassin but I can't tell you how that will turn out), and _Dick Grayson Batman Series_ (Actually Bludhaven is in New Jersey. The Titans have been in New York but Bludhaven is set in New Jersey. However, Starling City is supposed to be a replacement for Star City which is in California and Arrow insists that Bludhaven is near Starling. Make of that what you will.) for reviewing the last chapter! I own nothing.

* * *

_My name is Richard Grayson. When I was ten my parents fell to their deaths and I was taken in by the Court. They taught me to kill by destroying everything that made me human. Batman saved me and, in order to repay him, I swore an oath to uphold justice. But every bird eventually has to leave the nest. Now is my time to step out from underneath Batman's wings and learn to fly._

* * *

**Outside Starling City, Delaware. October 29, 8:00 PM**

Dick Grayson let out a startled yell and rolled across the pavement of the road, hands tucked in close to his chest in the vain hope that he wouldn't break any fingers. He needed them for the night ahead. The man who had managed to throw him off balance enough to knock him off his motorcycle was already coming after him, bow in hand. It was the same man from the night before and Dick could tell, despite the hood and the greasepaint, that this was Oliver Queen. Nightwing rolled to his feet, pulling his escrima sticks free and lashing out at the man. He had trained by fighting against Batman often and he very much doubted that Queen had been trained by the League of Shadows.

Queen twisted away from the blow and struck out with one of his own, smacking his bow into Dick's chest. The eighteen year old stumbled, startled. He hadn't expected Queen to use the bow as a weapon, thinking the man would be worried about breaking the bow. That assumption had been a mistake. Dick ducked under another strike, adrenalin already pumping through his veins, and re-evaluated Queen. The man was both taller and broader than him, along with having more muscle mass. If Queen managed to grab Dick, the fight would be over because the young man couldn't afford broken limbs before trying to straighten out the chaos that Bludhaven had become.

Ordinarily Dick would immediately put some distance between himself and an opponent like Queen but the problem was that Queen had range. He had almost killed Lawton and if he was at all good with that bow, he would probably be able to put an arrow through Dick before he even got close. That mean Dick needed to remain close enough to his opponent not to get hit with an arrow but far enough away that Oliver Queen couldn't grab him. That was going to be anything but easy. He could only hope that the struggle between himself and Queen wouldn't last long. He had a city that he needed to attempt to save.

* * *

**Episode Six: The Man in the Hood**

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_The Court was just as he remembered it; dark and full of shadows. They had entered without being apprehended, which was all Dick needed to know for certain that this was a trap. Batman went ahead regardless, Dick following reluctantly behind. He wanted desperately to flee but couldn't without leaving Batman behind. If he left the Bat, he might never find the man that had been responsible, ultimately, for putting him in this position in the first place. The unfairness of it all washed over him and he felt the urge to scream but resisted. He had not been forced through the brutal training of the Court only to lose everything because of foolish emotions.  
_

_A whisper of sound reached his ears and Dick turned smoothly, catching his would be attacker by the throat. It was a young woman, curly brown hair hidden beneath the hood of a talon. A scuffle behind him caught the young assassin's attention and he brought his strength to bear, crushing the throat of his attacker before turning to see Batman fighting with another assassin. William Cobb. A low rumbled issued from his chest and Cobb smirked at the as he flipped smoothly over the Bat's head. "Wandering back here after betraying us," the man sneered. "How childish of you, my boy." Dick murmured something too look for Cobb to hear, his gaze on the ground. Behind him, he could hear the girl rasping and struggling for breath but not trying to get up. That was good. It meant he had a little more time. "What did you say?" Cobb questioned, a smirk on his face. "You're going to have to speak up, son."_

_"I'm not _your boy_ or _your son_," Dick snarled, eyes flashing brilliant yellow-gold as he lifted his head to meet Cobb's gaze head on. "I am going to be the one to unmake you."_

* * *

**Outside Starling City, Delaware. October 29, 8:20 PM**

Dick was gasping harshly for breath as he loomed over the other vigilante, the remnants of the shattered bow between them. He'd made a mistake, gotten a little too close in his haste to finish the fight. The result had been that Oliver Queen had actually tried to strangle him. Dick off of his medication did not have the same reaction as most people being strangled. The young hero had calmly worked to break the other vigilante's grip, shattered the bow with a single hit, and then sent Queen to the ground when a knee to the gut. Now, sucking in air over the quickly recovering form of the Starling City vigilante, Dick struggled to figure out what he was going to do. "What is your problem?" he gasped out as Queen sat up, body braced for another attack.

"What did you want in Starling?" Queen growled back.

"Surveillance only, I promise," Dick said, hoping he wouldn't have to fight Queen again. The longer he had to stick around here talking with the Queen scion, the worse Bludhaven would get.

"Surveillance?" Queen's tone was skeptical and Dick struggled with a wave of irritation. The man was reminding him an awful lot of Bruce at the moment, always questioning everything Dick said.

"_Yes_," Dick snarled. "Surveillance."

"For who?" came the sharp demand.

"_Really_?" Dick drawled irritably. "What makes you think I wasn't just sticking my head into this mess due to my own curiosity?"

"You wouldn't have said surveillance if you were simply curious." Dick's irritated frown darkened. Queen had just proved himself far too observant. That meant Dick would have to be extra careful in order to keep his identity a secret.

"Batman," he said with a huff. Queen stared at him blankly and Dick's eyes widened behind the lenses of his mask. "Seriously? You're running around the streets as a vigilante and you don't know who Batman is?" He watched Queen's eyes narrow and felt his hands clench into loose fists. "There's this thing called the internet. Use it and stop wasting my time," Dick growled, losing patience with the whole situation. He was wasting precious time that he could be using to save Bludhaven.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_More talons poured into the hall, keeping Batman from approaching the struggle between Dick and Cobb. The boy didn't care. His entire being was focused on the man who twisted him into a monster, a creature to be feared. The man who had helped destroy everything Dick Grayson had ever been. The boy could feel now, the ice had cracked over his soul, and all he felt was rage. The fury fueled his blows and allowed him to move with an almost feral grace. Cobb laughed, delight written all over his face. "Good boy," the older talon crooned. "Just like I taught you."  
_

_"Except this time the student is going to best the teacher," Dick hissed, ducking a blow aimed to disorient him._

_"Oh really?" Cobb challenged, obviously amused. "How are you going to best me when I taught you all I know?" The next blow struck the side of Dick's head, sending him stumbling back, and Cobb swept the boy's feet out from under him. Dick flipped instead of crashing to the ground and lashed out but Cobb was no longer there. Instead the man was behind him, wrapping an arm around the boy's throat. Dick tried to squirm free but the arm only tightened, making the boy fight for air. "You cannot beat me Richard. You may as well just surrender now before I have to cause you undue harm."  
_

_"You destroyed me," Dick choked out, thrashing desperately. "That's already undue harm." In response to that, Cobb simply laughed._

* * *

**Outside Starling City, Delaware. October 29, 9:00 PM**

Dick wouldn't be so lucky that Queen would allow that sarcastic comment to be the end of their discussion. In fact, turning his back on the man turned out to be a huge mistake. He barely twisted away from the arrow aimed at his side. He listened to it hiss away even as he spun with a snarl towards Queen, all patience gone. He didn't care that Queen might be useful later or might become an actual hero. All that mattered was that Oliver Queen was preventing him from saving Bludhaven, that Oliver Queen was going to make Dick fail.

Dick lunged across the empty space between them and tackled Queen to the ground, barely managing to curb his strength so that the punch aimed at Queen's head wouldn't kill the man. He watched with cold satisfaction as Oliver Queen's eyes rolled up into the back of his head. The man would be out for a while which meant that Dick could get to the 'Haven. He stood, dusted himself off, and headed for his motorcycle. Too much time had passed already and the young man could practically hear a clock ticking in his mind.

The motorcycle revved under him and he soared off down the row, heart beating hard in his chest. The road flew by underneath him and eventually Bludhaven came into view. Dick could already see the flames crackling from a couple miles away, which was never a good sign. When he got closer it was easy to see that a couple factories had caught fire and the local firemen were barely containing the blaze. People were either staring at the massive fire in blind shock or running and screaming in panic. The police force, as far as Nightwing could tell, was out in force. Considering how corrupt the Bludhaven PD was and how poorly coordinated they usually were, seeing them working like a smoothly oiled machine was truly worrying. Dick's eyes narrowed as he turned off the highway and on to a back road that would lead into the 'Haven another way. He had work to do.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_He wasn't going to come out on top. Dick knew this but it didn't stop him from throwing himself fully into the fight. If he was going to die, he was going to make Cobb work to kill him. Everything around him fell away, a strange rushing sound filling his head but he ignored it. Claws sliced open his cheek, blood dripping down his face and neck. Some of it splattered across his lips and slipped into his mouth, open from gasping for breath. The coppery and almost sour taste shocked him out of the emptiness that had consumed him. He stumbled back, stinging shoulders slamming into a slimy sewer wall, and his knees buckled.  
_

_Dick slumped to the ground, whole body trembling with exhaustion as Cobb loomed over him. The boy attempted to push himself to his feet but his legs, blood dripping down them from numerous tiny wounds, refused to support him. "Give up boy," the older talon growled, satisfaction gleaming in yellow-gold eyes. "It's over. You've lost." The boy let out a choked laugh, blood gleaming on his lips, as he took in the shadow stealthily moving towards Cobb's back. "What is so funny?" the man demanded as the pool of blood gathering around Dick continued to grow at what would have been an alarming rate for a human._

_"I may have lost," the child assassin rasped out, struggling to keep his eyes open as his body tried to shut down in order to heal more quickly. "But so have you." Cobb's eyes widened and he whirled around only to find himself face to face with a wounded but still standing Batman. The older talon had forgotten that the fighters behind him were much less trained than Dick. Wayne had used that to his advantage, beating them down despite the injuries he sustained. Batman's black gloved gauntlet smacked Cobb across the face, making him stumble, and Dick managed to shift his aching and bloody body to trip up the older talon._

_Cobb crashed to the ground with a snarl and Batman's black boot crashed hard into his side. Dick winced a little at the sound of ribs cracking but didn't feel too bad for the man. William Cobb deserved every injury that was handed to him and more. This was the man that had turned Mary Grayson's little Robin into a killing machine. This was the man that Dick knew would haunt him for the rest of his life. It was that thought alone that drove him to force his body to move. He lunged forwards, ignoring the screaming of overworked muscles and damaged nerve endings, and dug his poisoned claws deep into Cobb's throat. The man let out a liquid filled gasp, gurgling a little, and his eyes widened with shock. Satisfied, Dick slumped back and allowed the darkness to overtake him, body shutting down so he could heal._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 29, 11:10 PM**

Dick felt as if he was fighting a down hill battle. For every person he managed to save, another three died. Most people would have given up, but most people had not been turned into cold blooded killers after witnessing the murders of their family. Dick locked his emotions away as he worked, determined to save as many people as possible. His movements were mechanical, no joy in each leap or strike. If Barbara could see him right now, she would be worried. When Dick lost his joy, he often lost his humanity, becoming something darker. Something deadly. At one point he thought he caught a glimpse of a two tone mask but we he turned to look directly in that direction he saw nothing.

He started near the burning buildings, the heat from the flames licking his skin. He'd managed to get close to fifty people out of a collapsing building but it wasn't enough. The fire was still burning when Nightwing was forced to flee by the police. Several officers who had been trying to shoot him when they caught sight of him and he'd been forced to run, not wanting to build up a bad rep with the locals over beating up cops. The last thing he needed was Bruce coming over to the 'Haven to lecture him about his responsibilities as a vigilante. He was doing his best, regardless of the results, and he hadn't killed anyone yet.

A flash of blonde hair caught his attention along with a scream. His head snapped down and focused on the tiny figure of Stephanie Brown being dragged away from a woman he guessed was her mother. "Don't worry," one of the men was sneering. "We'll take good care of you both." Eyes narrowing behind the white lenses of his mask, Dick launched himself off the rooftop. He landed softly behind the man pulling Stephanie away and knocked him out with a single fury powered blow. The man crumpled and Dick was already launching himself over the girl's head towards the other two men. The second one crumpled to the ground after a quick blow and the third fled, leaving Dick in his own personal bubble of space, only Stephanie and his mother in the area. Instead of sticking around for the thank you, he launched himself back towards the nearest roof, determined to keep moving.

Two rooftops over, he dove down to interrupt what was quickly becoming a mugging turned deadly, only to have a green fletched arrow soar by his face to sink into the shoulder of one of the muggers. The man howled in pain as Dick took down the second mugger and the third one, a woman, turned and ran. The young man turned then, gaze zeroed in on Oliver Queen, still dressed in full vigilante gear. Irritation and worry rushing through him, Dick shot out a grappling hook and swung to the building, climbing smoothly on to the roof. "What are you doing here?"

"Let's call it surveillance," Queen replied smoothly and Dick growled low in his throat.

"I don't have time for this," he snarled, pushing down the little voice in his head that was insisting he sounded like Batman. "I want you out of Bludhaven until this mess is cleaned up. Then we can talk all you want, understand?"

"You don't want my help?" Queen questioned with a shrug. "Fine. But we are going to talk." Dick nodded his head once and launched himself back off the roof, determined to continue the fight to save the city. Queen could find his own way out of the 'Haven.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_Dick forced his heavy eyelids open, feeling as if his body was made of concrete. For a moment he couldn't understand why he was seeing the white ceiling of a bedroom instead of the lid of a coffin or in the Court. It felt as if he was just coming out of Cold Storage except he wasn't actually cold. And he was covered by blankets. He sat up slowly, muscles aching, and then sucked in a startled gasp as memory sank in. He and Batman had taken down Cobb, but not without Dick sustaining enough injuries for his body to force shut down. He wondered for a moment if he was in a hospital but it was far too quiet. Perhaps a mental hospital but he wasn't sensing any people around him.  
_

_Approaching footsteps made him tense and swing his feet off the bed on to the floor. He stood, balance off a little from the time his body had been shut down to heal, and back towards a window covered in thick wine red curtains. Hopefully he could open the window behind them and escape if things went south, as they normally did. Hopefully there was an actual window behind the curtains instead of, say, an expensive portrait that needed to be kept away from sunlight. Rich people were strange and, since he had no proof that he was in a hospital or locked away with mental patients, he had to assume to he was in Wayne's home. And Bruce Wayne definitely fell in the rich category. Back brushing against the curtains, the boy tensed and kept his eyes focused on the turning door handle._

_An elderly man stepped into the room. Compared to the people Dick was used to being around, he appeared to be fragile. Still the boy knew better than to judge a person by their physical appearance. The man took in the empty bed with its disturbed covers and then slowly scanned the room until wise eyes fell on the young assassin. "Master Richard?" the man questioned and Dick felt his throat go tight for a reason he couldn't explain. He began to tremble and the man's eyes softened. "Come sit, please," the man said, voice gentle. "You need your rest." Despite the fact that he knew his body would heal with or without rest, Dick had no strength to deny the old man's request. He made his way across the floor on trembling legs and sank down on the edge of the bed. That earned him a soft smile and a nod, the most praise he had received since his parents had fallen to their deaths. That reason more than anything else that happened after made Dick actually consider trying a new path when it was offered.  
_


	7. Episode Seven: The Perfect Crime

_Author's Note:_ Once again, sorry for the delay in posting. I'm wrestling with the plot of this story and, unfortunately, it's wrestling back. Thanks to _spiderman1fa__n_ (That's coming in the next chapter!), _TheAsterousAuthor_ (He's wonderfully sassy, especially when he's getting impatient. And I'm glad the fight scenes were up to par!), _rey_ (Glad you enjoyed it!), and _ThePurpleBear_ (Oliver's been a little busy setting himself up as a vigilante. And there will definitely be questions about the mirakuru when they finally talk! Glad you're enjoying it!) for reviewing the last chapter! I own nothing.

* * *

_My name is Richard Grayson. When I was ten my parents fell to their deaths and I was taken in by the Court. They taught me to kill by destroying everything that made me human. Batman saved me and, in order to repay him, I swore an oath to uphold justice. But every bird eventually has to leave the nest. Now is my time to step out from underneath Batman's wings and learn to fly._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 30, 1:42 AM **

The night was finally quieting down, much to Nightwing's relief. The fires had been smothered, leaving nothing but smoke and the smell of hot metal lingering in the sooty clouds above the city, and most people were too exhausted to do much more than trudge towards their homes, or shelters if their homes had been destroyed by the fire. The streets were emptying out which hopefully meant that Dick could go to his apartment and rest for a while. Hopefully Queen wouldn't bust in on him until tomorrow night when his mind wasn't humming with exhaustion and he could actually filter what he was saying.

It took him three tries to get through the security he'd placed on his window without setting off any alarms. The last thing he needed was Babs freaking out and sending Bruce over to check on him because he accidentally set off his own alarm. He definitely wasn't in the mood to have a conversation with Bruce. Once inside, Dick reset the security system and headed for the bathroom. He stripped off the uniform and stepped under the cold spray of the shadow, staring dully at the off-white floor as blood slipped off his skin and down the drain. Clean again, he dried off and stumbled over to his bed, not bothering to dress before slipping under the covers.

He woke roughly five hours later with his phone ringing shrilly from somewhere in the general direction of the kitchen. His eyes snapped open and he rolled out of bed only to realize that he was naked. Grumbling under his breath, he dressed quickly and scrambled across his tiny apartment, reaching his phone just as it fell silent. He quickly tapped the correct code and checked his log only to discover that Babs had called him twelve times in the past twenty minutes. Groaning to himself, he dialed the red head's number.

"Hello?" Barbara picked up in the middle of the first ring, voice worried.

"I'm still alive," Dick said flatly, moving about the kitchen to gather what he needed in order to make coffee. He had a feeling that today was going to be a long day.

"Thank goodness," Babs breathed out before her tone turned stern. "Next time answer me the first time I call."

"I got in at almost two in the morning BG," Dick said, irritated. "I was trying to catch up on my sleep."

"Oh, sorry," she said with an awkward laugh and Dick snorted. "I'll let you go back to sleep then."

"No point. I'm already making coffee," he told her. "How does the news look?"

"Bludhaven is under control once more, but everybody seems to have forgotten about the assassinations in the chaos," Babs informed him. There was a pause as the coffee maker gurgled and then she added, "I think this was caused on purpose. Some very important people with radical plans that would help the 'Haven in the long run were killed right before the fires and the riots. Someone could have created the situation to cover up the crime."

"Sounds plausible," Dick admitted, searching his cabinets for a clean coffee cup. "Can you send me what you have about the deaths?"

"As soon as we're done talking," Babs promised. "How was Starling?"

"Oliver Queen is the vigilante and his moral code is closer to mine than B's." Dick poured himself a cup and placed it on the counter to cool, heading for the fridge to see what food he had left.

"_Oh._"

"Yeah," Dick agreed. "He tried to stop me from getting to Bludhaven to get answers and then showed up in town to get answers. I managed to convince him to leave but I have a feeling he'll be back. Probably soon too."

"What are you going to say?"

"I don't know," Dick said, pulling an apple out of his mostly empty fridge and then frowning when his thumb sunk into a squishy part. "Listen, I'm going out for breakfast since I have no food in my apartment. Send me the info, okay?"

"Okay," Babs agreed. "And sorry about waking you up."

"No problem," he said and the terminated the call, tossing the apple in the trash can with one hand. It was only after the phone started ringing again, this time telling him Bruce was calling, that he grabbed his coffee and took a sip. If his mouth was full of hot drink, then he couldn't pick it up and start an argument.

* * *

**Episode Seven: The Perfect Crime**

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_He was a monster. Dick studied himself in the mirror of the bathroom, taking in the scars from the electrum injections that had never really faded. The thought wasn't some kind of passing fancy, it was a fully built identity. He had killed and his hands were covered in blood. Furthermore, he was no longer human. The electrum had killed him and brought him back as something else. Something unnatural. He breathed out with a sigh and turned away from the mirror before he broke it out of sheer frustration. He had been here two days already but had mostly been confined to a single hall. When Bruce was not around, he was only allowed to leave his room to go to the bathroom.  
_

_He dressed in fresh clothing and exited the bathroom, heading for his room. He hesitated at the door, part of him silently raging at the idea of being locked up again. Yes, he had killed William Cobb in front of Batman but he didn't believe that he should be punished for it. Cobb, his own kin, had been insane. Twisted almost beyond human understanding, Cobb's only goal had been to serve the Court no matter the cost. He had alternately tortured and trained Dick, brainwashing him and turning him into a mindless drone. Then, when he had finally dared to strike back and break free of his oath, he was punished for it._

_That made up his mind. Dick turned away from the door and headed stealthily down the hall. Using the skills he had gained as a Talon, he moved like a ghost. If his feet made a sound, it was not one discernible by his sensitive ears. He walked until he started passing windows, grim grey light filtering in from the outside world. Rain pattered on the windows, the soft sound strangely comforting. He paused at one and carefully opened it, grinning at the rooftop below. He stepped outside on to the rooftop, throwing his arms out to allow the coldness of the wind and rain cut into him. It felt good. It made him feel alive._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 31, 10:15 AM**

Bruce refused to stop calling. Dick gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to throw the cell phone across the room as he scanned Barbara's research. His friend was right, there was something suspicious about the deaths. Each assassination had been performed in the same way which meant he was looking at the _modus operandi_ of the assassin. His phone buzzed again. He gritted his teeth so hard they groaned and took in the information of the final death. All shot from long range, judging by the depth of penetration of each of the bullets found inside the victims. That was interesting. There weren't a lot of people around that had the ability to snipe from the estimated distance was relatively low, which made the killer easier to find.

"I wonder," he mumbled absently and pulled up the information on the mayor's death. Sure enough, the MO matched. The man who'd killed the mayor and managed to knock Dick out almost four days ago. The phone started up its buzzing again. What did Bruce _want?_ Hadn't he made it clear already that he didn't want to fix things between them?

If he was being honest, what Bruce had done wasn't unforgivable. The man had never been good with personal relations and he had made a huge blunder by handing over the name Robin like it was a piece of clothing that Dick had outgrown. It was a horrific mistake on Bruce's part. Robin was all Dick had back of parents whose memories were made blurry early on by the process of becoming a Talon. That had been the last straw in a series of arguments. It had sent Dick storming out of the house and fleeing to Bludhaven, refusing to take any of his adopted father's calls. The phone began buzzing again. Dick groaned and placed his head in his hands.

Normally Bruce would take a hint after two or three tries but today he had been calling since Dick had sat down in a sleazy restaurant to eat breakfast. The phone silenced for a moment and then started ringing again. Dick sighed and blindly reached for the phone. He cracked open his eyes to type in the passcode and lifted it to his ear. "What?" he snapped impatiently, tempted to hang up when all he heard was silence on the other end.

"I didn't think you'd answer," Bruce said after a moment, voice gruff.

"Yeah?" Dick snapped. "Well that makes two of us."

Bruce sighed heavily. "I didn't call to argue with you," he said and Dick snorted.

"You never do, but that doesn't seem to matter."

"Dick, focus," his former mentor growled. "I contacted you because of the reports I've been seeing of Bludhaven."

"So you're calling to tell me what a terrible job I'm doing?" Dick grumbled. "Trust me, I already know, but we can't all be Batman."

"That was not what I meant."

"Then spit it out. I'm trying to work right now," Dick hissed.

"There's rumors that a former member of ASIS turned assassin was contracted for a series of jobs in Bludhaven," Bruce replied, voice cold and business like. "Barbara will send you the information this afternoon."

"Fine," Dick muttered. "Nice talk." Then he hung open before their half baked argument could turn into a screaming match. He had a killer to focus on. He could worry about fixing his relationship with his adopted father later.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously **

_Dick settled on his back on the damp rooftop, closing his eyes and letting his body relax. Out in the open, the feeling of being caged was fading away. The weight of judgement dropped off his shoulders. He breathed out peacefully, keeping his senses alert for any sign of danger. Even though Cobb and at least a dozen other talons were dead, the battle was far from over. Sooner or later, someone would be coming for him. If they managed to catch him and drag him back, he would be in almost unimaginable agony for a very long time. He would lose sight of who he was._

_Footsteps approached and he tensed up, opening his eyes and tilting his head back to look towards the window. Couldn't he have just a moment of peace in somewhere that didn't feel like a cage without someone hunting him down? "Master Richard?" Alfred's voice questioned, sounding supremely unsurprised. "Please come back inside."_

_"I'm sorry Alfred," Dick replied, feeling genuine regret for putting the man in the bad position, "But no. I will not."_

_"Very well Master Richard," the butler replied before turning and walking away. Dick breathed out a sigh and leaned back against the damp roofing tile. He suspected that he had only earned himself a few more minutes of peace before Bruce Wayne himself showed up to order him back to his room. This time, he didn't plan to do so as an obedient puppy. This time he was going to put his foot down. Killing Cobb was not something Dick should be ashamed of and he refused to be punished for it any longer._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. October 31, 9:12 PM**

The information Bruce had told Barbara to send him turned out to be a possibility on his list of assassins. Slade Wilson was a former member of Australian Special Forces, more commonly called ASIS, married to the woman who had helped train him, Adeline Kane. After the birth of their second child, Joseph Wilson, Kane and Wilson had gotten into a series of fights that had resulted in an eventual divorce. From there, Wilson had taken a series of increasingly difficult missions until he ended up stranded on Lian Yu, the same island Oliver Queen had been found on. From there, the Australian military had lost track of Wilson, leaving him free to take up assassination contacts. There was one photograph with the file and, though it was blurry, the color scheme of the armor was that of the man who Dick had confronted the night the mayor had been shot. All in all, the pieces were adding together to form a picture he didn't particularly like.

Judging by the information in the file, Wilson was exactly the sort of man who would burn down part of a city, resulting in the death of at least a hundred people, to cover up only a few assassinations. While Dick wasn't exactly surprised that Babs had been right, he was frustrated that he hadn't seen it sooner. He'd been doing a sloppy job of protecting the city he was calling his own and it showed in the death toll. Maybe Bruce had been right during their arguments. Maybe he couldn't do this. He sighed and pressed his head into his hands. It didn't matter whether or not he was capable of protecting Bludhaven. He had a killer to catch.

He stood and stepped away from the table, stomach grumbling in a futile attempt to remind him that he needed to eat. He ignored it and opened the wardrobe in his bedroom, stepping past the clothes to let the thumbprint scanner confirm it was him before typing in the correct passcode. There was a click and he pressed a hand against the back well, sliding it back and to the side. He stepped through the darkness into his hideout. It wasn't the Batcave, but it worked well enough. Babs occasionally sent him new equipment and Alfred had supplied several uniforms but, bathed in blue light from the one active computer screen, the room was mostly empty. Dick grabbed a fresh uniform and left the room, unable to stand the pocket of complete silence created by the soundproofing. It was too much like being locked in Cold Storage.

He carefully shut the door and headed for the bathroom to change. Once in uniform, mask covering his eyes, he slipped out and cracked open a window. The sun had set a couple hours ago and he had work to do. Nightwing launched himself into the dark sky, cool rain tapping gentle fingers against his cheek. His breath turned to smoke before him. That was something he needed to be careful of. He could give himself away if he wasn't paying attention. He hesitated on a rooftop, closing his eyes and emptying his mind of everything that wasn't pertinent to his current case. All his emotional turmoil, woken by the conversation with Bruce, was pushed to the back of his mind and locked away. Somewhere below him, a motorcycle revved. Oliver Queen would be arriving some time tonight. Yet another problem to deal with. "Take them as they come," he murmured to himself and launched himself off the rooftop into the gloom.


	8. Episode Eight: The Owl's Child

_Author's Note:_ Thanks to _TheAsterousAuthor_ (Well the feeling was correct. And I'm glad you liked the flashbacks and the current relationship between Bruce and Dick!), _Wombo Combi_ (That's what I was aiming for with the plot so I'm glad it's working. And the whole thing with Slade will be interesting.), and_ Guest_ (Glad you're enjoying the flashbacks!) for reviewing the last chapter! I own nothing.

* * *

_My name is Richard Grayson. When I was ten my parents fell to their deaths and I was taken in by the Court. They taught me to kill by destroying everything that made me human. Batman saved me and, in order to repay him, I swore an oath to uphold justice. But every bird eventually has to leave the nest. Now is my time to step out from underneath Batman's wings and learn to fly._

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_It didn't take long for a new set of footsteps, softer than Alfred's had been, to approach him. Dick's muscles tensed and he allowed his eyelids to flutter open again, tilting his head towards the open window. "Richard, get back in here." Bruce Wayne's voice sounded rough and just a little tired. The time fighting against the Court had worn on him._

_"No," Dick replied, voice steady and emotionless. He was done being caged. There was a moment of hesitation and then Wayne stepped out on to the rooftop, seeming to ignore the way rain soaked his expensive suit jacket._

_"I need you to come inside."_

_"So I can go back to sit in my windowless room?" the boy replied. "No." As if to emphasize his decision, he allowed his eyes to drift shut. He appeared completely relaxed but his senses were on high alert. After all his training with the Court, there was no possible way that he wasn't going to be aware of his surroundings.  
_

_There was a moment of silence, but Dick did not let it fool him into believing that Wayne had left. Because he was listening to what was happening around him, he was not surprised when Wayne moved forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him up. Despite the roughness of the motion, the man was still far gentler than Cobb would have been. Still, Dick didn't appreciate it. Yellow eyes snapped open and he let out a low growl that vibrated through his chest. Wayne ignored it, pulling the irritated boy back through the window and into the house. When the man paused to shut and latch the window, Dick wrenched himself free and stalked away. He refused to be locked up again._

* * *

**Episode Eight: The Owl's Child**

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. November 1, 12:10 AM**

Dick had stopped a pair of looters, three muggings, and an attempted homicide by the time Oliver Queen showed himself in the city. That suited him. After taking out some of his frustration and helplessness on the criminals of Bludhaven, he was finding it easier to shut his emotions away and think logically. He watched impassively as Queen's motorcycle scoured the poorer districts of Bludhaven searching for him. The man rarely glanced up, making Dick shake his head in disapproval. Oliver Queen was new to the vigilante business and it showed.

After following him for close to twenty minutes, Dick dropped to the ground when Queen paused at a street corner. "You do sloppy work," he said to announce himself. "You rarely ever looked up when you were searching and there was no method when you were surveying the area." Queen pulled off his motorcycle helmet and scowled at the other vigilante, obviously displeased.

"You said you would answer my questions," the man growled and Dick smirked at him.

"I did," he replied. "Come with me. You might be willing to talk in plain view of anyone who looks out their window but I'm not." Dick slipped away through the shadows, not bothering to look back to see if Queen was following. Either he would or he wouldn't. It made no difference to him.

He led the way up a relatively stable fire escape an on to a shadowy rooftop area that had at one point been a community garden. In a place like Bludhaven, the effort had been futile and he could almost feel the desperation that had been sowed into the soil with each vain attempt to make something grow. He sat down on the edge of one of the rotting boxes that held dead, damp earth, and faced Queen. "You have questions," he said, keeping his voice empty. "Ask."

"I did some research last night after I left here," Queen informed him.

"And?" Dick prodded, wanting to get to the point. He had a job to do and every minute speaking to Queen was a minute he could be working.

"You claimed you were working for Batman but there's no record of you working with him," Queen said. Dick gritted his teeth at that. He'd only gone out as Nightwing in Gotham a few times considering how often they had been arguing. That mean, with Dick's skills, the press hadn't really caught sight of him.

"I prefer to stay in the shadows," Dick replied. "Batman is a symbol, he needs to be seen from time to time to maintain public support. I do not."

"Why were you in Starling?"

"I told you," Dick said, rolling his eyes behind the white lenses of his domino. "I was doing surveillance."

"Why?" Queen growled. "What was so interesting in Starling that you had to show up there?"

"You," Dick snapped and watched Queen suddenly go very still. "What?" he mocked, all the frustration and hurt of the last few days breaking free of its dam. "You thought if you started running around as a vigilante no one would notice? Think again. There are other vigilantes and sooner or later they are all going to assess you. They have to, to make sure that you aren't a threat." He stood abruptly, hands clenching into trembling fists as he struggled to box up his emotions again.

"Just one more question," Queen said after a moment, sounding a little subdued.

"What?" Dick demanded, voice strained.

"Have you ever heard of Mirakuru?"

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_Dick wandered the halls of Wayne's home restlessly, ignoring the chill from his damp clothes. Part of him, the tiny bit of him that was still Mary Grayson's good, if not a little mischievous, son, was urging him to go back and apologize. The larger part of him that had been cultivated for six months by the Court informed him that apologies wouldn't help him. He'd just end up caged again and that was the last thing he wanted to happen. To be honest, the entire house felt like a gilded cage. His surroundings were elegant but he was trapped in them as surely as he would have been locked away in Cold Storage. It felt as if he had exchanged one prison for another prettier one.  
_

_He turned a corner and then froze, finding himself face to face with Alfred Pennyworth. The butler appeared to be unfazed by his sudden arrival, taking in his soaked from with something that Dick thought could be considered worry. "Master Richard?" Alfred questioned and all words or excuses fled him. He found himself standing silently and shaking in front of the butler with no words to excuse what he had done. Alfred reached out slowly, giving the boy time to move, and placed his hand on Dick's shoulder. "Come with me Master Dick," he said, voice gentle. _

_The boy obeyed, allowing himself to be guided back to the room he was supposed to be in. Alfred left for a moment, the door open just a crack, and then returned with a towel, handing it over. As Dick did his best to dry himself off, the butler vanished again only to return with fresh clothing. "Please change and then come down for dinner Master Dick," he requested, taking the damp towel and then leaving, shutting the door gently behind him. Dick did change but he didn't leave the room. He didn't feel hungry. Instead he felt lost and alone._

_In some ways, it had been easier just being Talon. He had been a monster there, a killer of humans without any kind of mercy, but he hadn't needed to think. He had known exactly who he was and exactly what he was supposed to do. He had followed orders as they were given and when he had not been needed, the Court had returned him to Cold Storage. It hadn't been much of a life but Dick had known his place in the world._

_Being Richard Grayson was different. Instead of an emotionless talon following orders, he became a scared and lost and extremely guilty boy who had witnessed his parents fall to their deaths just six months previously only to be taken by the Court of Owls. He was traumatized and alone in the world. That, more than anything else, made Wayne Manor feel like a cage. Haley's Circus had been home, with all the people he'd grown up with. Sure, he'd lived in a trailer, but his parents had been there and he'd been loved. That had made it home. Wayne Manor was just an empty building and, after his experiences with the Court, Dick had lost his ability to marvel at the high ceilings and numerous passageways. He could no longer be in awe of the spacious rooms or the wealth surrounding him. For the first time since he had arrived in the manor, Dick curled up in the center of the bed and cried himself to sleep._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. November 1, 12:45 AM**

"What?" Dick asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

"Mirakuru," Queen repeated, narrowed eyes fixed on Nightwing's form.

"Is that Japanese for something?" Dick questioned after a moment. He wasn't very good at picking up Asian languages but he had tried to learn Japanese at one point with Babs so he was fairly certain his guess was correct. Queen nodded but didn't say anything. "Look," Dick said after a moment. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh really?" Queen questioned, eyebrows arching. "You mean to tell me you don't know about the drug running through your veins. The one that helped you knock me out with a single punch."

Dick had honestly wondered when that was going to come up but he hadn't thought it would be like this. Whatever Mirakuru was, it wasn't running through his veins. "I don't know what Mirakuru is," he told Queen, keeping his voice level."The thing running through my veins that makes me a little stronger and a little less human is called electrum. That's what let me take you down so quickly."

"Really?" Queen asked skeptically and Dick breathed out a sigh.

"Have you heard of the Court of Owls?"

"Isn't that the Gotham urban legend?"

"Yes," Dick said, sitting back down. "But it isn't just a legend." He took in a deep breath and then let it out, the hollowness that always surrounded him when he had to relive his past with the Court washing over him. After the influx of emotions from earlier, it was almost a relief. "After my parents were murdered, the Court took me and injected something called electrum into my veins." He needed to pull in another steadying breath before he could tell Queen what came next. "The high dosage of electrum kills the victim and then brings them back to life, but no longer as human." Queen absorbed it all with a nod, expression thoughtful. There was no judgement in his gaze so Dick let himself relax a little. "What is Mirakuru?" he asked after a moment of more relaxed silence and watched warily as Queen suddenly tensed.

* * *

**Gotham City, New Jersey. Seven Years and Six Months Previously**

_Dick woke when the door to his room was opened softly but he did not move. Instead he listened to the soft, barely there breathing of the person watching him. "Richard?" Wayne questioned after a moment and the boy smoothly uncurled, meeting the man's eyes with his own yellow ones. Wayne seemed to study him for a moment before saying, "Come with me."  
_

_Dick slid softly off the bed, curious, and followed Wayne down the halls and down a staircase before they arrived in what appeared to be a study. An old grandfather clock sat still and silent. Wayne crossed the room and adjusted the hands on the clock. There was a soft click and the clock slid aside to reveal and shadowed staircase beyond. Wayne descended into the darkness without a word. Dick hesitated for a moment and then followed, sensitive ears picking up the squeaking of some sort of animal. He paused in his descent and glanced up, taking a moment to watch the hundreds of bats rustling and talking to one another above him._

_At the bottom of the stairs, he stepped into the large cave he'd been brought to after his first encounter with Batman. Lights flickered and then came on fully, revealing the true size of the place. It was enough to make him feel small. It was almost enough to make his problems feel small. Wayne was standing in front of a massive, glowing computer screen. The man turned his head slightly and motioned for him to come over. Dick silently crossed to stay just out of arm's reach of Wayne. On the screen was a picture of a man that Dick almost recognized._

_"This is Anthony Zucco," Wayne said, blue-grey eyes intense. "Six months ago, when Haley's Circus arrived in Gotham, Zucco was dispatched to collect protection money. When the owner refused to pay, his job was to make the man pay in other ways." Dick's hands began to tremble as the enormity of what Wayne was telling him slowly began to sink in. This was the man that had killed his family. "We are going to track Zucco down," Wayne told him. "But we are going to do it my way, understand?"_

_"I understand," Dick replied, and he did, but he wasn't sure he agreed._

* * *

**Bludhaven, New Jersey. November 1, 1:02 AM**

Oliver Queen's entire body was a taunt as a bowstring and for a moment, Dick was certain that he was going to launch himself off the rooftop and into the shadows. He waited almost warily as Queen let out a quiet breath. "Mirakuru was supposed to be the ultimate Japanese weapon during World War II," he said at last, looking down at his hands. "It was a formula meant to creature super soldiers."

"You've run into it before," Dick said and the man nodded.

"You know who I am, so you know where they found me."

"Lian Yu," Dick replied despite knowing it didn't require an answer.

"The submarine carrying the shipment of the successful Mirakuru formula was sunk not far from Lian Yu and the sub eventually washed up on shore." Queen hesitated and then said, "The formula does work but not necessarily on everyone. The result is someone who heals faster and is far stronger than an average human." Dick nodded, understanding why Queen would have thought he had been injected with the substance.

"Are the results permanent?"

"I'm not sure," Queen told him. "I killed the last person I knew was injected with it." There was something in his tone that told Dick not to press any further on the subject. "The formula, as far as I know, is lost," the man added and Dick nodded once.

They sat in silence, a lonely sounding police siren wailing in the distance before abruptly silencing. Dick felt his muscles tense, knowing that likely wasn't a good sign. "Any other questions?" he asked, voice soft and gaze focused in the direction of the sirens.

"Not at the moment," Queen told him.

"Then I have work to do," Dick said, standing. He walked to the edge of the roof and then hesitated, glancing back at the other vigilante. "If you need help, you know where to find me." Then he launched himself off the rooftop and into the open air.


End file.
